Help from Beyond
by AussieFFaddict
Summary: Imogen Potter is a week from having her Thread cut. The Fates step in to try and save her Dimension. This is the tale of the help they send. Evil Dumbles etc. Will cover as much as it needs to. Be Gentle Its MY FIRST STORY (M) Potter/Greengrass-maybe AJ/NT?LOTS of adult language. Not sure if there will be any pairings yet. mentor / brother relationship Imogen / Alex. PLEASE R
1. Chapter 1

**Not mine. Just sharing the toys in the sandpit.**

_(Fate Speech)_

**Welcome to my first ever story. Thank you for taking the time to read and if you feel like it, please leave CONSTRUCTIVE criticisms only. This is a Fem Harry / Alt universe story but hopefully not like others. **

**There MAY be Fem-Slash later**

**This is a Harry Potter story told from another person's point of view in the first person and I hope you enjoy it.**

**And a shit load of bad language as well. You have been warned...**

**HUGE thanks to Dreamless-Sleep777 and sfjoellen for pointing out the massive plot holes, due to this both of these chapters have been edited and (hopfully) make a bit more sense.**

**Chapter 1...**

With a gout of red that sprayed across what is left of the cave entrance, the last of my team mates died. Killed by a bullet from the Taliban forces that are trying to overrun our... well my position. I see a shadow in the dust haze and snap my modified F88 Styer rifle up, pulling the trigger at the same time. The scream of pain as the shadow drops is horribly loud next to the pfft of the suppressed weapon. I rub the stubble on my chin and have a quick look around and at what I have left to work with and decide that basically I am fucked.

My team and I had been HALO'd into this area to supposedly rescue four United Nations Aide workers that had been kidnapped by the Taliban and were been ransomed. Unfortunately, the hostages were already dead and the terrorists were waiting for us. As soon as we landed, everything went to shit. They opened up on us from three sides and took out two of my team before we even knew what the fuck was going on. We scrambled for cover and managed to get our asses into the cave where we are currently holed up.

Now as everyone knows, the main players in the developed world do not negotiate with hostage takers. This rule however does not stop the Secretary General of the UN sending my team and I into "liberate" the hostages before the deadline has past and the hostages are killed. This rule is especially true when the said Aide workers actually work for the UN and one of them happens to be his niece, and that man happens to be my boss.

I work for an arm of the United Nations that no one knows exists. Thanks to movies like Team America and the friggin hilarious impersonation of Hans Brix and Kim Jong-Il, most people believe that the UN is a toothless tiger. I work for the United Nations Hostage Rescue and Tactical Team or UNTAC. Our job is to basically go in, rescue the hostages and kill every mother fucker that gets in our way. Then we hand the people we rescue over to be debriefed, and to sign an old growth forest worth of paper saying that they never saw us, never heard us and that they will never say anything about us. We jokingly call it the Hear no, see no and speak no brief.

I am the boss of team 4 and we are based in Australia, more precisely Brisbane. More precisely... well you don't need to know that. UNTAC has six teams based in different parts of the world to deal with any hostage taking and terrorism threat that arises. I was serving as a Captain in the Australian SAS when I was approached by a recruiter and after saying yes, the rest is lost in a haze of the most hardcore and painful training I had ever had. And considering that I was SAS, that is saying a shit load.

After three years of hell that would make the most enthusiastic practioners of BDSM cringe and become celibate, I was given my own team and promoted to Commander. We were one of the most successful and brutally efficient teams in the UN. One of the first hostages that we rescued gave us our call sign, when during his de-brief, he said that our entering the building he was been held in sounded like an avenging angel was coming. Hence, Archangel.

"Archangel, this is Linebacker what is your status?" the voice of the controller for this mission into southern Afghanistan echoes into my headset from my satellite radio.

I push the button on my throat mic. "This is Archangel Six, situation is I'm humped. Team is KIA and I have at least 40 Tangos advancing on my position. I could really use some support right about now" I pull the pin, count to three, and toss a frag grenade out the entrance to the cave. The noise from the explosion adds a rather telling counter point to the conversation I believe.

"Six, no air support available. All we have is artillery."

"Fuck me." I breathe. I can't believe this shit. Using the flimsy cover that is between me and the Taliban, I manage to crawl my way to the mouth of the cave and sneak a peek around a rock that hadn't been blasted into pebbles during the last hour. I can see at least thirty terrorists forming up to rush my position. I guestimate I have about five minutes before I will be joining my teammates. "Linebacker, this is Arc Six. I am about to be over-run. Drop every fucking thing you have on my GPS now."

"Six confirm" the slightly flustered voice of the controller asks.

"Everything on me right fucking now." I scream into the radio. "There are thirty of the fuckers about to rush me. I do not want to be captured and tortured by those assholes. Do it, do it now."

A different, much older and more mature voice comes over the radio. "Arc Six, this is Shotgun. Hunker down son. I am about to drop the entire world on top of you. Get to the back of the cave your hiding in, grab the body armour off you fallen men and cover yourself. You have incoming in two minutes."

I squeeze the trigger and empty the rest of the custom seventy round magazine out the mouth of the cave to keep the assholes heads down as l scramble backwards and move towards the first of the four bodies of my team. Grabbing the body armour and spare magazines off their webbing as fast as I can. I get three of them when I hear the sounds of the division's 105mm guns opening up. I have about sixty seconds before they land on me. I grab my pack (hey every little bit helps) and race to the back of the cave and find a hollow that hopefully (yeah right) protect me.

"Thirty seconds Archangel. Good luck" the voice of the artillery commander came over my radio.

"Thank you Sir." I replied. Not much else to say to that really. While I am waiting for the end of the world, I look around the niche that I am burrowed into. 30 seconds takes a shit load of time to pass. I notice some weird hieroglyph looking symbols arrayed in a diamond formation around what looks to be a lightning bolt.

I rub the grime and dust that is partially obscuring the symbols and discover that it is indeed a lightning bolt, and the symbols around it are actually representations of planets. I rub my forehead, not noticing as I did that it came away covered in blood that was leaking from a cut just below the rim of my helmet. I put my blood covered hand onto the lightning bolt and tried to rub away more of the grime. As my hand leaves a trail of blood on the rock, I hear the sound of an approaching freight train and realising that my time is up, I close my eyes and wait for the end.

In the explosions that follow I do not notice as a blinding light surrounds me. I feel an intense heat from the artillery rounds, and then my stomach drops out from under me and I start to fall, as if I was on one of the rollercoaster's at Dreamworld on the Gold coast back home in Australia. Australia, god I am going to miss that place. I opened my eyes and all I can see is a blackness that rivalled one of the coal mines that my team and I had trained in before deploying to this shithole of a sandpit. That was my last thought before something slammed into my body and I was ended.

...

I hear whispering voices and my training kicks in and I am instantly alert, but without the telltale change in breathing patterns or tensing up that could alert my captors to my altered state of awareness. I concentrate on the voices that I can here and hope to be able to gain some Intel on where I am and who they are and more importantly what the fuck happened.

Ok first things first. Check for breaks and body damage. As slowly as I can, I minutely flex all of my joints and muscles. I am stoked that there appears to be nothing broken, just the ache that comes with the bumps and bruises that you get in any combat situation. Ok so I'm off to a good start. Next, weapons. I concentrate on my thighs and feel a tightness that signifies that at least the holsters for both my Glock 9's are still attached. This gives me some hope. I can feel a pressure on my chest, back and shoulders and a weight on my head and neck that hint that my body armour, pack and helmet are still with me. Fuck yeah. I'm almost golden.

Now the hardest part. Intel. Where, who, what. This is more difficult. I am focused on the voices still and I can hear no change in the volume or intonation that tells me that my captors - or whoever the fuck they are- are even aware that I am conscious. I start to slowly crack open my right eye when a women's voice no more than three feet from me tells me that I'm busted.

"_Good afternoon Commander."_ There is no emotion in the voice. It is plain, dry, with almost no humanity in it what so ever. _"Please do not pretend. I know you are conscious and have been for the past four minutes and twenty seven seconds."_ The murmuring voices stopped instantly. And I am immediately on full alert.

"Fuck!" my mind moves at a warp speed that would put the Enterprise to shame, trying to come up with contingency plans and escape and evasion scenarios. I opened my eyes and looked towards the voice, only to have whoever was driving the Enterprise run it into a friggin wall. I'm humped.

The person, if you could call it that, was about six feet tall and very slender. They were dressed in a gray robe that touched the ground and trailed behind them. The robe was belted with a thick black belt that gave the impression of sucking all the light into its surface. I looked closer at the belt and realised that it was covered in the same celestial design as what was on the wall in the cave. It had no nose or mouth. Just a pair of the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen. There was no black of the pupil; no white of the sclera, just the entire eye was electric blue. And they were staring right into my soul.

"_Do not be concerned Commander."_ The voice seemed to echo around my head. Telepathy I realise. _"I and my associates do not intend to hurt or harm you in anyway. We actually need your help."_ She turns towards her companions and I take note that these were the people that whose murmuring conversation greeted me when I first regained conscious. She gestures and a table that would have looked at home in any high end conference room and half a dozen comfortable chairs appeared out of thin air_. "Please join us Commander. We have alot to discuss before you make your choice." _

"Choice?" I think to myself. I am currently trying to get the image of Eric Cartman with a satellite growing out of his ass out of my head. I hear a snort in my mind that seems to be coming from the person? – being? – person? To my right.

"_We are not going to probe you Commander."_ I take note of this person and notice that their appearance is exactly the same with the exception of their eyes. The one who snorted had bright green and the last one when I turned my head towards them had purple.

The three of them settle themselves into their seats and I realise with a start that I am still in a heap on the ground. I stumble to my feet and realise that I am indeed still fully kitted in everything that I had on me when the ass fell out of the world. I shrug off my pack and unclip my Styer from the shoulder of my body armour and lay it next to my pack. As I walk towards a seat I push both my pistols down to get them back into a comfortable position. I also notice that my knee guards are off centre and take a second to fix them as well. You may think that I am being a bit preoccupied with my appearance but while I was "fixing" my kit I was busy scoping out the room and looking for escape routes. There was nothing. Just a room that seemed to go into infinity. Crap.

I pulled out a chair and sank down into it, and made eye contact with each of the tree in turn. "You said you wanted to have a discussion with me" I said to get things started.

"_Introductions first"_ Said the one with blue eyes. _"I am Clotho. My Sister to my right with the green eyes is Lachesis and the Sister to my left is Atopos. Together we are."_

"The Fates" I said in what I thought was a whisper. "Fuck me" I took my helmet off and started to feel over my shaven - absently noting that I was due to crank out the razor again- head to check for any bumps, dints or cuts that might signal a concussion. The silence since my little outburst was deafening, and the ladies seemed to be giving me a few minutes to finish my search for head trauma. Nada. Shit.

I put my helmet on the table in front of me and pull off my gloves. To borrow a phrase from one of my favourite movies namely Bad Boys 2. "This shit just got real." I rub my eyes and look back at the three fates sitting serenely in front of me.

"Please let me get this straight." I almost beg. My training was hardcore and full on but nothing was coming up in the memory banks for info on how to deal with mystical shit that don't friggin exist except in movies, books and TV series. "You" I said pointing to the first person – bollocks – Fate. "Are Clotho, the Fate of Life. Your Sister here I point to the glowing green eyed one is Lachesis the Fate of Mortality, and..."

"_Yes Commander"_ interrupts Atopos. Her purple eyes are trying to bore an extra hole in my head. _"I am Atopos the Fate of the Knife. We bought you here to ask for your help."_ She paused and looked at her Sisters. They both nodded at her.

"_Please continue Sister"_ said Clotho waving her hand in my direction.

"_Thank you Sister"_ those Tunnel Boring Machine eyes cranked up the drill speed almost daring me to interrupt her.

I felt like I was back in the RSM's office getting my ass handed to me cause we got drunk on weekend leave after our graduation, commandeered the CO's Land rover and parked it in the base pool. Actually scratch that. This chick is WAY more friggin scarier than my old RSM. I gulp and try to give her my full attention. Even though my brain is screaming at me that this couldn't be happening that I must be unconscious in that cave and this is just my mind fucking with me.

"_No Alexander"_ she said shocking me again. No one called my Alexander. Everyone calls me AJ. But I'm rambling again. _"You are not still in that cave. If you were you would be dead. You called in for a strike on your GPS location and they dropped almost a ton of high explosives within three feet of your location. So yes I would say you would be dead."_ She paused, then turned to Lachesis who held up a thread that was a dull blue colour. It almost looked like the light was about to go...

"Bollocks" I whisper to myself as the implications become clear. My life literally hangs by a thread. I try and drag my eyes back to Atopos but the thread pulled tight between Lachesis hands is drawing me to it. I can feel the life force growing fainter. I feel myself starting to hyperventilate and my heart starts to race and I can't breathe.

"_Sister"_ one lone voice. Not raised above normal conversation, but never the less, the voice of command. I swivel my head towards Clotho.

"_Sorry Sister"_ Lachesis lowers my Thread and I feel my heart rate start to slow. _"Are you ready to listen now Commander?" _She asks and I try to swallow, my suddenly bone dry throat makes it impossible. Clotho waves her hand and a glass of water appears in front of me. I grab it and drain it in seconds. As soon as I put it back on the table it refills itself again.

"Yes Mam" I turn my head back towards Atopos and nod that I am ready to hear her story.

"_Very Well Commander"_ she pauses. _"As you have guessed, we are the Fates. Our job for want of a better term is to weave the fabric of life and death and when a person has fulfilled their purpose, it is our responsibility to cut their thread and allow them to move on. However." _She paused to take a breath.

"_It may come as a shock to you AJ."_ She paused again. _"Actually,"_ she continued. _"It will come as a shock to you when I tell you that yours is not the only reality in existence."_

I rock back in my chair at that revelation. Only my years of training allow me to ignore the part of my brain that is telling me to evac right the hell now.

"_Every fantasy book, movie or television show that depicts something supernatural actually exists in another reality. Name a couple of your favourite fantasy movies or books."_

"Serenity" I say without a seconds pause. The skin around Atopos eyes crinkle and I get the impression that she is smiling. "Harry Potter" This time she shares a knowing look with her fellow Fates. "Fuck me" I breathe as realisation strikes. "Does this mean that"

"_Yes AJ"_ Lachesis voice echoes with laughter inside my head. _"There are Jedi and Light Sabres do exist._

I can't help but look over my shoulder to my trusty F88 and feel that it isn't as cool as I once thought it was.

Atopos continues her tale. _"In these worlds obviously the stories and movies of themselves do not exist. For example there isn't a TV series and Movie about Fire Fly and Serenity. Those people and version of their stories actually exist in their dimension. The reason why there are books and movies about these different worlds is the reason why we bought you here now."_

She pauses and I can tell that I am allowed to ask one or two questions now. I pause for a few seconds to gather my thoughts.

"OK. If these different realities exist, then how do people like George Lucas and Joss Whedon come up with the ideas for these shows?"

"_Simple"_ Clotho interrupts her Sister. _"Muses place what is needed into the head of these people and they write a book or a movie about it. Simple"_

"Simple" I scoff to myself, then I pause for a second and actually think about what I have just been told. It actually is pretty simple if you do not think about the scale of what the three Fates are telling me.

You may think that I am taking this rather calmly and being very excepting about what is being told to me. All I can say is that I actually saw and felt my very soul being held in Lachesis' hands before. I know what that felt like. Trust me when I say that I believe everything that these ladies are telling me. Also, flip the coin. They already told me that I would be dead if I was still in that cave so what harm can it do to listen to what they have to say. I am also taking a shit load of comfort from the fact that they have already asked for my help. I turn back to Atopos and look back into her glowing purple eyes and nod for her to continue.

She smiles at me then I once again hear her voice in my head. _"Another thing that you have to understand is that magic is real. In your world it does not exist. There are other worlds where everyone has magic."_ Here she pauses and looks at me to connect the dots.

"Harry Potter" I breathe. I make eye contact with all three of them in turn. "There are also worlds where both exist. You have a problem on one of these magic and non- magic worlds that you want me to fix?"

I can see the wrinkles around all three of the Fates eyes now that I hopefully am interpreting correctly as smiling. Otherwise I could be in it big time.

"_Yes AJ. That is exactly what we need you to help us with." Clotho takes over the story. We are going to send you to help Imogen Potter."_

"Imogen?" I ask leaning forward. "Isn't it supposed to be Harry Potter the boy with the massively hyphenated name meant to take out the bad dude with the other massively hyphenated name?"

"_Quite"_ Clotho gives me a look and I sit back in my seat again. _"While our Muses give the people who write the movies or books the necessary encouragement, it is up to the individual who actually writes them as to what names and genders are given to the characters that they portray."_

"_So while Ms Rowling's wrote the Harry Potter stories, the actual person is Imogen Potter and she has yet to do anything that has been written about."_ She stopes for a minute and looks to her Sisters as if asking permission to continue. Both Atropos and Lachesis nod sadly at her_. "Alex, if you do not agree to help her we will be cutting her thread within the week and that world will fall into a darkness that will consume that entire reality and billions of people will die in the most gruesome ways."_

"Why now?" I ask the Fates. "You have alluded to the fact that she has being in trouble for some time if not years. Why have you suddenly waited until she has a week left to live before you bring me here to help her? Aren't you cutting it bit close?" Bugger, I can't believe what I just said. The sniggering in my head from one of the tree Fates tells me that the irony isn't lost on them either.

"_The answer is simple AJ."_ Clotho continues. _"Higher Beings are not allowed to directly interfere in any Dimension, so we cannot stop the treatment that Miss Potter is experiencing. If we could life would be a utopian society."_ She paused and Lachesis took over the explanation.

"_As for why we bought you here this late in the game to help. It is simple. We did not plan on you per se, but we hoped for anyone who fit the criteria and activated the Runic Cluster that bought you here."_

I nod my head as a mental image of the diamond formation around the lightning bolt that I had touched in the cave.

"_Yes Commander"_ Atropos gave that crinkly eye thing that I am still hoping is a Fate version of a smile. _"The Dimensional Cluster is activated by blood and it was that which allowed us to bring you here. It was us that influenced your enemy to leave a way for your team to evacuate to the cave. The Dimensional Clusters are hidden in four locations in each World. It is only when another Dimension is on the brink of a catastrophic event will a worthy champion be summons to us."_

I get up and start to pace around the end of the table as I start to process what is being asked of me and what I would need to do and or obtain to accomplish the mission. You will note that I had already moved rather quickly onto accepting my Fate. If you stop and think about it, what friggin choice did I really have? Say sod it, I die and so do billions of others. And then I have to spend eternity or whatever the hell it is knowing what I could have done. Or just say bugger it and move on and try and be the friggin hero. Pfft, some choice.

"Ok" I look towards the Fates to see them all looking at me with what could only be considered hope in their eyes. "Read me in."

**And I think this is a good place to stop. Please remember that this is my FIRST STORY. Do not flame me, critical reviews people if you are going to actually leave one. For those that do thanks heaps. And I'll give you a cookie.**

**I am not sure where this story came from. I have been reading HPFF for years and have read literally hundreds of these stories. The idea for this story hit me last night while I was sitting in the cinemas waiting for Despicable me 2 to start. I thought about it and figured what the hell. Lets see if I can do this, and more importantly how well will I go at this.**

**Thanks for reading. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Not mine...**

**Chapter 2...**

I appeared with a slight pop in the park near Privet Drive with a Glock raised in each hand as I spun in a full circle checking for danger. Although technically it has been a month or so since I was last in combat, it was actually only thirty minutes ago that I called an air strike onto my position. How much shit can change in half an hour I thought as I scoped out the surrounding area. Seeing no visible threats, I jammed both of my sidearms into their thigh holsters and attached the thumb brake to keep them secured. I zipped up my combat jacket and hopped that no one sees me walking up the street with visible weapons. I shrugged off my pack and rifle and hid them under a nearby bush. They wouldn't be needed for tonight and would just get in the way. I would come back for them later.

I had come straight from wherever the Fates had kept me while I was outside of reality. I only had what I came with. The Fates had told me that once I had secured my Principal, money – an acute lack thereof on my part. Clothes – I only had combat gear in my pack. Somewhere to stay – Apparently the Potters were friggin loaded so as her Body Guard, I would be living wherever Imogen was – if she accepted me, all would be taken care of.

As I stalked along Privet Drive looking for number 4, I went over the plan that the Fates and I had hammered out. Firstly. No killing of the Dursleys. According to Atropos, it isn't time for their Threads to be cut. I have to be candid and admit that I did have a bit of a dummy spit when I found that out. But the Sisters were unmoved by my arguments. They did agree to allowing Imogen the option of cutting Vernon's Thread herself if I agreed to let him live for now. I grudgingly gave them that one.

Lachesis had explained to me that when Dumbledore had dumped Imogen with her relatives, they were borderline aggressive opinionated assholes to begin with. However, he cursed them in a such a way as to permanently change their behaviour and exponentially bring out this hate and be violently abusive to anyone with the last name of Potter and there was no way to change them back.

He had also altered the curse in such as way to ensure that whatever was done to her in the house would not kill her. It would force her magic to keep her alive and to assist with any required healing. It would also stop anyone from noticing that anything was wrong with her at school and make her teachers believe that she was a liar and troublemaker and not believe her if she went to anyone and asked for help.

The Fates were not allowed to give me all of the information. I had to still figure shit out for myself, which didn't bother me. They also said that if I needed I could summon them and if they could they would answer my questions at the time. Until then I was on my own. But they didn't tell me how that was going to be achieved. Oh well, ill figure that out later.

Clotho then told me that once I had Imogen with me to call for a Potter House elf. When I asked why the Potter elves had not pulled her out of there in the first place, she told me that Dumbles had blocked her magical signature which stopped the elves – and anyone else – from tracking her, but once a Potter elf laid their eyes on Imogen, the block would be broken. She also informed me that the wards around the property would not stop me or a Potter elf entering.

Atropos mumbled something about their being able to influence Dumbledore slightly when he cast the wards that would stop any magical person – or anyone from social services or police who had anything to do with the name Imogen Potter- from entering a half a k zone around the house to allow our entry.

I asked if the house elves would kill me, considering that I would be having the abused Potter Heir with me, and would they try and protect her from me, and was informed that because I had summoned them to help their Mistress, their magic would see me as a friendly.

Thank God. I remembered the second movie when Dobby had whupped Lucius Malfoys ass and did not want to go through that.

My G-shock beeped and I glanced at the luminous dial and saw that it was bang on 0100. Perfect. As I was walking up the street I took note that there were no lights on in any of the windows. Not even the flickering of a TV set. But allowing for the fact that Wednesday is a school night I did not expect that there would be anyone up at all. I find number four looking exactly the same as number 6, number 2 aaannnd having a quick Bo-Peep across the road, number 5 as well.

Fuck me, I would hate to be pissed and be stumbling home from the pub trying to find my friggin house amongst this shit. You would be better spending the night in the lock up or a fucking park bench. I may have mentioned this before but shit I miss Brisbane.

Striding confidently up to the front door, I flick the thumb break forward and rest my hand on the butt. I am ready to draw it at a moment's notice. I try to turn the handle and of course it is locked. I'll have to do this another way.

A word of advice. If you are about to break into someone's house to boost something like their TV, car, fridge or their unwanted Niece. Be confident. Do not look around furtively. Walk straight up to the door, try the lock. Pretend to swear and pat your pockets down as if you are looking for the keys. Trust me; you will have less chance of the Fuzz being called by some busybody neighbours.

I put my hand back on the door handle and concentrate on what I want to happen. A click sounds and the door swings open. Well fuck me. It was just like magic.

Ok, ok. I know, back the fuck up and explain what the hell just happened. Right?

Well She Who Must Be Obeyed – Clotho – decided that although I have a rifle, both my Glocks, and some friggin awesome body armour, an 11 year old with a wand could probably fuck my shit up using a levitation charm to throw my ass of a veranda. Because I have no way to defend myself from a magical attack, her and her Sisters, decided to gift me with magic. It is pretty basic and limited in its abilities, I can't do offensive magic, but bugger me. I'm friggin magical. Boo-yeah.

For example, I can unlock any door, knock mother fuckers out and put up a pretty friggin hardcore shield that will stop everything short of the unforgivables. They also gave me an ability to become un-noticeable, and I can now do this cool trick where I can sense other people around me – use the force AJ- sorry. I can also use my own version of apparition. The best bit is, mine is pretty much silent and wards cannot stop me. There are a few other bits and pieces I can do but we will get to them later on.

I also do not need to use a wand or any other type of focus. I just raise my hand and will it to happen. You could say point and shoot magic.

I push the door open and walk into the entry foyer, leaving the door wide open behind me – I had a reason, trust me. I send out my magic in a gentle pulse through the house. Common sense tells me that there should only by four occupants in the house, however. You don't fuck with fate. Or The Fates in my case. As expected, my scan only showed the presence of four people in the house. But one thing was not as expected. Instead of one return coming from the cupboard under the stairs and three from the upstairs bedrooms. One was coming from below the house in what I guessed was a basement.

Knowing that my principal is only meters away from me at this moment, and her most likely physical condition did not stop me from starting the ball rolling with regard to punishing the Dursleys. Hey I was not allowed to kill them. I was not told I couldn't damage them.

I went upstairs as quietly as possible so as not to wake them up, but judging by the sounds and volumes of the snoring coming from two of the bedrooms, I probably didn't have to worry about being heard. I start on Dudley's room. I stun the fat shit of a child and use zippy ties – cable ties for all you people that don't speak Aussie – and bind his arms and legs to the four bed posts. I then move to the master bedroom and repeat the procedure with Petunia and Vernon. I made sure to put Vernon's right tree stump of a leg over the twig of his wife's left leg when I zippy tied them to their bed. I also put enough power into stunning them that the shouldn't wake up till just after lunch. With a bit of luck the pins and needles of retuning circulation will give her DVT. I can hope.

Another tip for new players. If you are going to use cable ties, get the black ones. They are UV treated and will last longer in the sun. The white ones will fade and go brittle over time.

Once I had finished stunning and securing the assholes, I raced back down to the kitchen and had a quick sticky beak in the cupboards and draws. I also found a set of padlock keys in the second draw and a door to the basement that had a matching padlock on it.

Finding what I was looking for, I took the top off the three tins of tomato soup and went back to the front door, liberally splashing it around the step and entryway of the house. I am not going to win any art prizes, but I was happy with my rendition of abstract Blood Splatter.

After leaving a soup trail that went to the door to the basement, I put the now empty cans of soup in the bin and then I unlocked the padlock and opened the door. I turn the light on, draw both my Glocks and slowly proceed down the steep steps. As I was going down I could here almost a whisper of sobbing and the clink of metal on metal. I finally come to the bottom of the stairs and I get my first glimpse at my principal.

"Fuck me." I whisper to myself and I race towards the naked, emancipated almost 11 year old girl that was hanging from the ceiling by chains and manacles attached to her wrists. Her tiny shrunken body is caked in dried and congealing blood and a sheen of other fluids that I really do not want to know what the fuck they are. I glance around the room checking for potential threats and I notice a collection of whips, knives, clamps and even a fucking car battery with jumper leads attached to it sitting on a trolley against the wall. Fuckers are gunna pay. I swear to myself.

"Please Uncle, I'm sorry I won't cry anymore, please please please don't hurt me. I'm so thirsty, please can I have a glass of water uncle?" Her broken voice was almost impossible to hear. I can feel a red mist start to descend. Only the sight before me stops me from going back upstairs and going all biblical on those fucking people.

I jam both automatics into their holsters and rip the thumb breaks back into position. "Oh little one" I whisper into her ears as I wrap my right arm around her waist and reach my left arm up and my magic lets me literally crush the manacles to powder as I take her full weight, I notice how light she is. "I am not that bastard that hurt you. My name is AJ and I am here to get you away from these people." I gently start to lower her to the stained putrid floor but as I try and lay her down she suddenly gasps. I feel a hot liquid run down my legs and she starts to shake. I realise in an instant what has happened and my rage once again threatens to overwhelm me. Suddenly I cannot move and time seems to stand still.

"_Pease Alexander"_ There is a shimmering in-front of me and the three Fates appear. _"We can feel your rage at what has been done to your charge."_ The voices of all three of them seem to combine in my head and I can feel the rage dissipating from the almost suicidal levels that it was at just from the choral quality of it. _"You must look after Miss Potter"_ the Fates continued. _"Rest assured AJ that when the time comes you will be a part of their punishment. You have our word."_ With that the three fates disappeared and I could move again.

I stand upright, pulling her broken body as close to my chest as I could and ignore the urine running down my legs from the terrified young girl in my arms. "Shhhh, it's alright little one. I promise I will never hurt you and I am going to get you out of here and take you to somewhere safe." I continue to whisper into the child's ear and I slowly start to rock her swaying gently side to side as her body is wracked by massive sobs. Slowly both of her arms come up and wrap around my neck. And she buries her face against my neck.

"Do you promise?" fainter than a breeze, the question is more felt than heard. I slowly, one arm at a time manage to wrap my coat around her covering her body and allowing my body warmth to soak into the frozen child. Not caring about the blood and other fluids that are soaking into my clothing at this point. I have crawled though worse in some of the places I've been to.

"I'll even pinkie promise" I whisper back to her. While I continue to rock her gently back and forwards. I quietly start to hum the verses to Hush Little Baby and slowly I feel her body relax against me.

I raise my voice to a loud whisper and repeat the words the Fates told me to use. "I require a Potter House Elf. The Heir of Potter needs your assistance."

There was a pop and a creature that I am guessing was a house elf appeared in-front of me. The elf was dressed in a black skirt and white shirt with a black tie. Both the tie and shirt had a crest that I am guessing is the Potters crest on the breast pocket and proudly displayed in the centre of the tie.

"Cody is head Potter Elf and is answering your call." She looks at me. "You is not a Potter. Who is you?" She looks at me suspiciously.

"Cody my name is Alex, and I have Lady Potter here in my arms, but she has been hurt badly and I need your help to take us to a safe place so I can protect and look after her." I explain softly to the little elf opening my coat as much as I can to allow her to see the back of the battered child in my arms.

"You is saving Mistress from here?" she asked me narrowing her eyes. From what I remember of reading the books and seeing the movies, house elves are supposed to be passive creatures, however looking into the eyes of this creature that only just came up to waist, I was preparing myself to receive a massive friggin ass whupping if I was to say the wrong thing.

"Yes I did Cody. I saved her. I have been sent me to protect Lady Potter and to rescue her from the people who did this to her. Can you please help me to take her somewhere safe please?"

The little elf grabs onto my leg. "Cody takes youse to safe place." With a snap of her fingers we disappear into the blackness and there is a slight sensation of movement and then as quickly as it started, all movement stops and I find myself standing in what appears the entry hall of a large mansion. "Welcome to Potter Manor Master Alex" she lets out a high pitched whistle and there is a series of quiet pops and before I could blink there were fifteen house elves of different ages and sexes all wearing the potter uniform standing in-front of me.

"Master Alex has rescued our Mistress and bought her home. You will answer his calls and treat him with respect. Our mistress has been badly hurt and he saved our Mistress." She delivered this in a voice that brooked no argument from anyone. The house elves facing me all bowed as one and intoned.

"Thank you Master Alex. Welcome to Potter Manor."As quickly as they came, they popped back to whatever they were doing, with the exception of three other elves who levitated the sleeping Imogen from my arms. "Poor Mistress, who be doing this to you?" one of the elves sobbed quietly.

The elves quickly put a lid on their emotions and leaving her broken body hovering in the middle of the entry hall they started snapping their figures and poring the potions that appeared in their hands down her throat and before my eyes, the cuts, bruises and abrasions and some of the light scaring vanished. When the elves had finished healing Imogen, Cody stepped forward and snapped her figures once again and Imogen was clean and dressed in pyjamas and for the first time, I noticed her hair was a bright fiery red and touched the floor from where she was hovering at waist height on the elves. It must have reached her waist it was so long.

"We will be taking Mistress to her room now" Cody informed me."Does Master Alex wish to accompany us?" I nod and she leads the procession up the winding staircase that I didn't even notice on my entry into the manor. We get to the second floor and I am led along a hall way that is decorated with dozens of portraits that all start whispering and talking amongst themselves. The thick royal blue carpet deadens the sound of my combat boots as I walk along with my left hand only an inch away from my Glock. The plan had gone well so far, however training doesn't just switch off, until I could relax, I was still in potentially hostile territory and I would treat it as such.

As Cody led me to a set of large double doors at the very end of the passage way the opened at our approach and the elves levitated the still unconscious Potter Heir onto a massive king size bed. I looked around the room and was astounded at the view from the massive windows to the left of the doors. The light of the full moon streaming through the windows showed a large veranda that looked across about a quarter mile of lush landscaped gardens to the sea. I couldn't wait till day light to go for a run to check out my new accommodation.

An unobtrusive cough alerts me to Cody standing next to me. "Master Alex, Mistress will sleep until lunchtime with the healing and the dreamless sleep potion that we have given her. We also have given her an elvan sleeping draught as well, so that her sleep will not be interrupted by nightmares." I nod great fully at the head elf. Nightmares were one thing that I was dreading tonight. At least I wouldn't have to worry about that until tomorrow. I look at my watch and realise that it is close to 0300. It will be dawn in a few hours.

I look back to the bed with my principal lying peacefully asleep for probably the first time in her life. "Do not worry Cody, I promise you that when the time comes, you will be there with me when their Threads are cut." I look back to her "You have my word."

The little elf bowed deeply from the waist. "Thank yous Master Alex. Cody would likes that alot." I noticed a gleam in her eyes as she stood back upright. "Master Alex where is your belongings?"

"I left my pack and rifle under the bush next to the slippery dip in the park on Privet Drive. I plan on going back shortly to get it."

Cody's high pitched voice interrupted me. "Master Alex not worry. I is will get it now." With that she snapped her fingers and disappeared from the bedroom. Leaving me standing there staring at the still form of my principal, and wondering where I was going to be sleeping. An almost silent pop alerts me to an elf appearing in the room. I look around and Cody is dwarfed by my field pack that is slightly bigger than she is.

"Thank you Cody" I say to the small elf as I reached down to grab the pack and rifle that was clipped to the front of the pack before they toppled the elf. "Could you please show me to where I will be sleeping?" I ask her. She vigorously nods her head, causing her large ears to flap in excitement.

"It is going to be so good with peoples staying in the manor again Master Alex." She bounced excitedly as she led me out of the room. "We is not having anyone staying here or visiting since that horrible night when Lord James and Lady Lilly went with the Whiskered one." She paused and looked hesitatingly up at me.

"What's wrong Cody?" I ask her gently. "I can't help you to fix something if I do not know what is broken."

The little elf nods in relief, then stops walking in front of another set of double doors. These rooms used to belong to Mistress when she was a baby. We is made them into your room now as it has a door directly to Mistresses. I is thinking to put you here so you cans be close to Mistress when she is needing yous help, as you is her protector." She opened the doors and led me into a room that was about half the size of the master sweet. Even still, this room is the size of a friggin double garage. A fire burned in the hearth taking the chill out of the air and making the room pleasantly warm.

A king size bed is situated to one side and two comfy looking lounge chairs faced the fire with a coffee table in between them. I look back at Cody and ask her is she cold please wait to continue the story as I really need to have a shower to clean myself up. She nods at me, then asks me to call for her when I am ready. Before she goes, I ask her to tell the elves to not touch my rifle and other weapons as they are dangerous and I do not want them getting hurt.

"Yes Master Alex, call for Cody when you are ready." With that she pops out of the room and I close my eyes and take a few massive deep breaths. Just allowing myself a few minutes to centre myself before getting back into what need to be done. Opening my eyes, I place my pack on the bed and pick up my rifle.

Checking the safety was on; I eject the magazine then hold the rifle over the bed left side down and pull the cocking handle back and allowing the round that was in the spout to be ejected from the chamber. I then pull the barrel and check for any obstructions and then have a look down the chamber checking to make sure it there are no rounds where they shouldn't be. All is good, so I shove the barrel back in, let the action go forward, off safety, squeeze the trigger, on safety and Yay. One unloaded F88.

I grab the ejected round from the bed and push it back into the magazine and then put the mag back into the rifle and put it under the bed, pulling the skirt down to make sure it is out of sight. I will look for a better storage space as soon as I am clean. I can really start to smell myself and it aint friggin good. I take off my jacket and throw it onto the floor followed by my body armour which gets dumped onto the bed. I pull my holsters off and put them beside me on the bed after unloading one of the pistols, the other pistol along with the K-bar knife from my boot goes with the holsters under the bed with the Styer.

Now I can finally get undressed. Oops not yet I can. Friggin knee guards, and gloves, they get yanked off and dumped on top of the body armour. Now I can get undressed. I kick my boots off and dump the rest of my uniform with my jacket on the floor and then I grab my shaving kit from my pack and stumble in the direction of the bathroom.

As I open the door, magical lighting automatically switches itself on and the room is exposed to me in all its glory. Fuck me its huge. I decide to explore later, I need a shave and shower. I turn towards the large double sink with mirror that must have been 8 ft wide sitting above it. I look in to the mirror and the person that looks back at me is not what looking at me the last time I saw my reflection.

"What the fuck has happened to me now?" I say out loud. There was a shimmering off to my left in the mirror and when it cleared I was looking at the smiling face of Lachesis.

"_Do you like it?"_ her voice echo's in my head. _"We decided that 35 was too old, so we de-aged you so that you are 25 again."_

"Twenty five?" I stupidly repeat. "But that would mean..." I trail off and look back at my reflection. I have to admit. I do like what I am seeing. When I was last this age, I was the fittest and healthiest that I had ever been. It was the age I was when I had graduated from UNTAC training. I look back to Lachesis. Something else on by body draws my attention for a second, but I decide to backburner that question until I get an explanation to a few more pressing questions. "What year are we in?" I ask her.

She looks down_. "1991" _she replies. _"Remember the Muses."_

I nod my head. "So let me get this straight. You three have sent me back in time twenty- two years, but I have only de-aged ten." Something else earth shattering jolts into my mind. "So no internet, no iTunes, no iPads, no plasma TV's? Uggg kill me now." I say to the image in the mirror.

Lachesis nods to me with a smirk but then her face get serious. _"Imogen Potter goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the 1__st__ of September 1991. Her eleventh birthday is July 31__st__. The date today is 27 June, she mu..."_

"Hang on a friggin second Lachesis." I interrupt the green eyed Fate. You have given me less than 10 weeks to basically rebuild this poor child from the ground up. Then you expect me to throw her on a train to Scotland and be placed under the not so subtle manipulations of the old goat rooter Albus Friggin Dumbledore."

I turn away from the mirror and start to pace – thank god the bathroom is so big – and my mind races to develop strategies, procedures and schedules that will hopefully allow this child to begin to overcome ten years of the most hellish abuse. "Fuck Me!" I exclaim, turning back to the mirror. "There is one thing that you three have forgotten. I am a male, what do you think the chances are that she will even want to anywhere near me considering that what her male relatives have done to her?"

Lachesis eyes seem to harden and the green seems to glow brighter. _"DO NOT presume to tell me that I am wrong. YOU are nothing more than a puny mortal who's Thread I could cut in an instant." _

Oh bring it on bitch I think to myself. "Get the fuck over yourself. Fate" I snap back at her. "You came to me remember and begged for my help, and then when you give me an almost in-fucking-possible task and I call you on it, you get yourself bent out of shape. Fuck you, cut my fucking Tread I was going to die anyway, let this world burn"

I get so close to the mirror that my breath is fogging the glass. "Do not threaten me Lachesis, I have seen the tattoo that is on both of my wrists. I know what it means." My voice is as cold as an arctic winter, the voice I use on idiot senior officers who try and meddle in how I ran my team.

"_Lachesis."_ A familiar voice cracks like a stock whip from behind me. I do not even move from my position as I continue to give the green eyed Fate my version of the Death stare. My grey eyes bore into hers and after what seems like an eternity, but is probably only thirty seconds, she nods and lowers her eyes.

"_I am sorry Alex."_ She looks past me to Clotho and nods her head at them. I feel her sister Fates moving to my left. She turns her head back to me. _"It has been years since someone has called my decisions into question and I have forgotten that while we as the Fates are usually right, it does not mean that we are always right. I ask your forgiveness Our Hairetzio." _

I turn my head towards the other two Fates in my bathroom and Atopos answer my unspoken question. _"It means Our Chosen One in our language."_

Before you ask, yes I did notice the capitalisation she put on the name. Bugger.

"_As you have figured out from the tattoos that are on both of your wrists, which match our belts and the symbols that you found and activated in the cave back in your Dimension."_ Continued Clotho, taking both my wrists into her hands and gently tracing the outline of the diamond tattoo with the lightning bolt in the middle with her middle finger.

"_The meaning of the tattoo is to signify that basically you are our servant in this Dimension. You can use it to summon one or all of us if you need assistance of advice. It also provides us with a link to you. Through this link we can tell your heath and if you are injured and require our intervention. You will also notice that when we arrear in the Mortal Dimension we can speak both out loud and through telepathy"_

I nod my understanding to the Leader of the Fates. I turn back to Lachesis who is still in the mirror and bow to her. "I also apologise My Lady." I say as formally as I can. "My only excuse is the last two days have greatly unnerved me."

Lachesis smiles at me and her image in my mirror dissolves with a slow whirlpool like effect and with a shimmer she appears in front of me with her Sisters. She steps up to me and infolds me in a gentle hug. _"Of course I forgive you Alex"_ she says to me. Releasing me from the hug she steps back to her sisters and tells them. _"Sisters we should be leaving. Our Hairetzio needs to wash up and he still needs to talk to the Head Elf." _

Clotho and Atopos both nod and vanish. Lachesis smiles at me and speaks before I can so much as open my mouth. _"Peace AJ, wash up, talk to Cody and then rest. Tonight after you have retired for the evening, if you have further questions summon us through your tattoos and we will come." _She pauses. _"In answer to your main concern about being male, we could change your gender."_ She smirks at me

"Don't you friggin..." was all I got out before the green eyed Fates laughter echoed around inside my head.

"_You should see your face."_ She paused to draw a breath_. "I am so going replay this conversation to my Sisters." _She stopped talking as she got her laughter under control. _"Do not worry about the Potter Heir's response to you Alex. You rescued her. Even though she was almost comatose with pain and anxiety, she still will remember that you got her out of that house and you pinkie promised her. To a little girl, that is everything." _Her eyes crinkled in what for the Fates was a smile. _"Be well Alex."_ With that she disappeared to go to where ever the Fates go to when not fucking with my life.

I turn back to the sink, fill it with water and proceed to shave the last few days of stubble from my chin. Finishing that task I was about to lather up my head to shave it as well when there was a quiet pop behind me.

"Master Alex, would you like me to take care of that for you?" Cody asks in her high pitched elfin voice. I look at her with a question in my eyes. And she snaps her fingers and a chair appears beside her and my razor appears in her hand with a bowl of hot water floating beside her.

I nod my head and sit down in the offered seat and let the little elf lather and then shave my head for me. It feels heavenly to have someone do it for you. I have been doing this myself since I was fourteen. Once she was finished shaving my dome, she took some lotion and massaged it into my scalp while I just sat there and let her hands kneed me into a pile off goo.

Goo? What the fuck? I am a highly trained soldier. I can kill you in hundreds of different and inventive ways. I can make explosives out of shit that would give MacGyver a hard on. I can even fly a helicopter if I need to. I do not get head massages and relax... "Oh fuck it. Just it enjoy it AJ" I cut my inner monologue off and just relaxed for the first time since jumping out of the C-17 on my last mission.

Once Cody had finished massaging my scalp, I turn to the little elf. "Thank you Cody that was brilliant." The elf smiled at me

"Remember to call me when you have had your bath Master Alex. I will bring you supper."

My stomach growled at the mention of food. I smiled and nodded at her. She gave me a slight bow and disappeared with a snap of her fingers. I turned to the shower and stripped of my boxer shorts and stepped into the cubical and turned the water on as hot as I could stand it. As the water cascaded over my head and ran down my body, I started to think once again about the best way forward with regards to helping my Principal.

After running several different scenarios through my head I came to the decision to just wait and see what tomorrow would bring. There was no point planning anything yet until I found out just what mental state the ten year old was in. For all I know I may just have to spend the next 10 weeks just getting her to start talking to me. I finished washing myself, rinsed the soap off my body and switched off the shower, towelling myself dry I walked back into my room to find a set of boxer shorts and a pair of tracksuit pants and a plain white tee shirt lying on my bed.

I shrug my shoulders, drop my towel onto the bed and get dressed. I pick up the towel and return it to the bathroom and then I sink into one of the couches by the fireplace. "Cody" I call out quietly knowing the elf is listening for my call. With a pop the Head Elf appears with a silver tray covered with a matching cloche that is hiding what smells like tomato soup and fresh bread. She places the tray onto the table beside my seat and lifts the lid.

My nose was right. I grab the spoon and take a mouthful of the best tomato soup I have ever eaten. I then pull the bread roll apart and dip it into the soup and jam it into my mouth. "Cody this is incredible" I tell her when I swallowed my mouthful. She beams at me.

"Elly the elf that does the cooking will be pleased that you is liking your supper Mater Alex" she said bouncing on her toes in happiness.

"Take a seat Cody and tell me what was bothering you before" I gently tell the little elf. She nods at me, snaps her fingers and an elf size chair appears in front of me. She hops up on to the chair and plays with the hem of her skirt for a minute or so and I use the time to take another few mouthfuls of the incredible soup. When she has gathered her thoughts, she takes a deep breath and raises her face to meet my eyes.

**Thanks for reading.**

**Thanks to my first ever reviewers **Dreamless-Sleep777 & sfjoellen**. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Nope still not mine...**

**I friggin hate how this chapter turned out. I really struggled to make it work, hence why it took over a week to get it finished. I am still not 100% happy with it, however it does introduce Imogen to the story finally and it does set up the rest of the story.**

**Oh just in case you missed it in the last 2 chapters. I suck at writing elf speech.**

**Chapter 3**

"It was Grey Beard who took Lord and Lady Potter with him almost ten years ago Master Alex." Cody began her tale. "They is not wanting to be leaving the Manor as the wards here have stood since the manor was first built almost two centuries ago." She paused to take a breath.

"Both Lord James and Lady Lilly were arguing with him about not wanting to be going, but he kept saying they musts go with him for the greater good." Cody stopped her story and blew her nose on a hankie that she pulled from her pocket.

"Grey Beard waited until Lord James and Lady Lilly were looking at each other, then he pulled out his wand and stunned thems. Cody was watching and went to protect her Master and Mistress, but Grey Beard was too quick and he froze Cody so she is not be moving."

Her big yellow eyes glinted with unshed tears. "Cody was a bads elf. She could not protect her family. Because I is being frozen I could not call for other elves to help me but could still watch." She paused again to blow her long nose.

"What happened next Cody?" I gently asked the stressed elf. I reach over to the table and pour a glass of water from the pitcher and handed it to her. Cody took the glass in shaking hands and looked at me with large eyes.

"Master Alex is great person. He serves Cody a drink when she needs one. You is just like Lord and Lady Potter. They were kind and nicest masters and mistresses."

I gently pat the elf on her knee. "I am not great Cody, I just believe that you are a part of this family and you should be treated as such. I am sure the older generations of Potters would agree with me if they were still around."

She smiles at me and restarts her story. "While Cody was frozen she is could see and hear everything that bad Grey Beard was doing. He started talking to Lord James even though Lord James could not here him."

"What did he say and do to Lord James Cody?" I asked.

She sniffed and blew her nose into the hankie that if I had to guess was about to reach saturation point. I decided not to go there and just listen to the rest of her story before deciding what the fuck I was going to do about Goat Man. I turned back to Cody as she started talking again.

"He was talking about how he is going to be taking them to his house in Godrics Hollow, and keeping thems there where no one would know or be able to saves them until he decided that they could. He then pointed his wand at Lord James and wokes him up, then he is casting the control curse on him and telling him to bring Mistress Imogen to him."

"Thens he is to go to Godrics Hollow and waits for him in next to the church and to not speak to or be seens be anyones." She took a deep breath and continued.

"Lord James walked past me up the stairs and came back with Mistress Imogen and he hands her to Grey Beard and disappears. Then Grey Beard wakes up Lady Lilly and makes her follow Lord James to Godrics Hollow."

"After Lady Lilly left Grey beard is about to leave when Master Remus and Lord Sirius apperated into the foyer." Here she let out a massive sob and with a soft pop, another elf appears beside her.

"Good morning Master Alex. Gordy thanks yous for saving Mistress Imogen from bad peoples." I nod to the little elf that is dressed in a night shirt complete with a long hat that has a pom-pom on the end. I almost smile at the image but Cody's distress is evident.

Gordy speaks up again. "Gordy is Cody's life mate. This story is very sad for Potter elves and it makes us upsets. But Gordy will try and tell yous rest of story Master Alex."

"That is fine Gordy. It is a pleasure to meet you. Do you want to take a minute with your life mate before we go on with the story?" I ask him. He looks at me in surprise and then nods shyly mumbling about "what a great mans Master Alex is." I ignore the comment and stand up to stretch my legs.

I glance at my watch and realise that is getting close to five am. I look longingly at the bed and realise there is no way in friggin hell I am getting to bed until tonight. Oh well, shit happens. It wouldn't be the first or the last time I have gone for a night or two with no sleep.

I look out of the window of my room and notice that the eastern horizon is just starting to get light. I turn back towards the elves and resume my seat. While I have not being attention to them, Gordy had changed out of his night clothes and was wearing his Potter Elf uniform which was the same as Cody's with the obvious exception that he was wearing pants instead of a skirt.

Once I was comfortable Gordy took up the story from the still distraught Cody. "When Lord Sirius and Master Remus apperated in they were in the middle of a conversation. They didn't even notice Grey Beard until he had already shouted the most unforgivable curse and Lord Sirius was killed."

He paused and put his hand on Cody's shoulder before he restarted the story. "He pointed his wand at Master Remus and froze him before Master Remus could get his wand out. Master Remus said. '_Albus why are you doing this, what have we done to you'_."

"Grey Beard said to Master Remus that it was for the Greater Good and that Master Remus should be grateful as his sacrifice was going to allow Grey Beard to live and rule the magical world forever."

This was so friggin different to what was in the books. The Muses really fucked up the story to get this much wrong. Hmmm, another question to ask the Fates when I next spoke to them. Oh well. Add it to the list. I turn my attention back to Gordy.

"Grey Beard then held Mistress Imogen out to the side. He said a really long spell in a weird language then shouted the evil curse at Master Lupin. The green light hits him and then something happened. Grey Beard and Mistress Imogen started to scream and a black cloud came out of Grey Beards mouth and went into Mistress Imogen's."

She screamed so loudly, that it bought the other elves, but Grey Beard disappeared and he must have done something because we could not track or trace Mistress Imogen after that. Grey Beard must have also done something else to us because we have never been able to speak about that night to another person until tonight."

I could see the relief in the little elf's eyes that they had been able to tell the story. I look deep into the fire as I reflect on what I have just been told as opposed to what the books say. I decide not to ask any questions about Voldemort or his existence until I have my next conversation with the Fates which is looking to be sooner rather than later.

I need Intel before I can plan my next moves. Fuck it, if worse comes to worse I will move Imogen to the USA, Canada or even get my ass back to Australia – Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef are looking pretty dam good right about now. She can go to another magical school there.

Another thought pops into my head. I decide to get a note book and pen out of my pack and start to write all of these questions down. I have long being an advocate of the old adage. "If you don't write it down, it never happens."

So suiting action to though, I go over and grab a pen and my Little Green Brain – It's an Aussie Navy note pad that has a hard cover and back that is green and it is full of tear out grid paper, and you write notes in it so you don't forget. Hence the name

"Ok guys thank you for telling me this story. I will have to think about what I can do to continue to help Imogen. Is there anyone who comes here to visit or to any of the other properties if the Potters own them?" I question the elves.

I have a basic plan forming in my mind but it will need to be fleshed out a bit before I can present it to Imogen. I pick up a glass of water and take several large swallows while I am thinking.

Don't forget people. I am basically only her Body Guard. Regardless of what the Fates say. If she decides that she wants nothing to do with me and tells me to fuck off, that is what I will have to do.

By this time Cody has regained her composure. "Mater Alex, I believe that you will need to speak to Lord Charlus and Lady Dorea for that information. Their portraits are in the Masters Study." I nod my head at the elf.

"Shall we go and speak to them then?" I ask and motion the elves to proceed me out the door. I absently flick off the light switch, walk out of the room and follow the elves down the hallway. Realisation of what I had just done made me stop half way down the stairs. "Cody." I call to the Head Elf. I always thought that magic and electricity did not work around each other?"

"Cody gives me what I could only describe as a cheeky grin. "Lord Charlus worked out a way to combine the two." She told me. The reverence in her voice for her former Lord and Master was obvious. "He told Cody that it was using the same things as what non-magicals use to make their electrics safe." She frowned. "Cody is sorry Master Alex, but I is forgetting the name that Lord Charlus be calling it." She put her head down in shame.

"Shielding?" I ask the elf. My mind immediately thinking military. Then I look down at her and realise that she is embarrassed at her lack of knowledge. "Hey it's ok not to know something Cody. I am brand new to this magic stuff, so I'm guessing that you are going to be showing and telling me alot over the next few days. Please do not feel embarrassed about this."

Cody and Gordy look up at me with wide eyes that are looking rather moist. "Thank you Master Alex" they say in stereo and continue to lead me down the rest of the stairs and into a combined library / study.

As I walk into the study I am greeted by the sun just peeking over the horizon. The early morning light is starting to flow through the massive panoramic windows that sit behind a solid timber desk that had that type of presence that says the Master sits here.

On my left as I walk in, the wall is lined by a floor to ceiling book shelf that has a ladder on runners that run from one end to the other. The opposite wall houses a massive fire place with several comfy looking lounge chairs arranged around it.

Over the fire place a large portrait of an imposing man and women dressed surprisingly enough to me in a 3 piece suit and formal gown that practically scream non-magical. To see the former Lord and Lady of a noble Pure Blood House wearing non-magical clothing really threw me for a loop.

"Lord Charlus and Lady Dorea." Cody said bowing deeply towards the painting. "This is Master Alex." She paused to look at me with almost adoration in her eyes. "He is being the one that returned Mistress Imogen to us."

I bow from the waist to the portraits. "Lord and Lady Potter, it is an honour to meet you." I return to the upright position. "I am Commander Alexander Jacobs of the United Nations Hostage Rescue and Tactical Team." I pause as an idea comes to me. But I have to wait until I can get a few seconds alone time to check it out.

"Please sit Commander." Lord Potter gestures to one of the chairs in front of his portrait. "We have alot to discuss."

I nod to the painting and put on a slightly embarrassed face. "My Lord if you could forgive me, could you point me in the direction of the nearest bathroom before we being please?"

"Of course young sir" The painting agreed. "Cody, if you could please."

The little elf nods. "Yes My Lord" she turns to me. "Please follow me Master Alex, Cody will show you."

I follow the elf out the door and turn to the left into a hallway. Cody points to a door a little way in front and she stops to wait for me. I smile my thanks and enter the bathroom and lock the door behind me.

I look into the mirror and crossing my hands so that I am grabbing my own writs I project my wish to speak to the Fates. The mirror swirls and Atropos is staring at me with her eyes crinkled. "Well done Hairetzio. You figured out the secret summoning quicker than anyone has before." Her musical voice complemented me. "What do you need Alex?"

"My Lady." I bow to her "I am about to begin discussions with the former Lord and Lady Potter. What can I tell them about my past, do I even exist here and does the UNTAC exist as well?" I pause to take a breath and look at the Fate sharing a mirror with me.

"You exist, your family does not exist in this Dimension Alex. However the UNTAC does. If anyone was to check into your records it would show that you are a Commander, formally of Team 4 who is on a deep cover assignment."

"They will then forget that you ever existed. Also all of your licences and qualifications including your pilots and licences to carry concealed and visible weapons are valid, current and will not expire or need to be renewed."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Ok I am guessing I cannot tell anyone about the Dimension shift or anything?"

Atopos smiles at me. "You can tell Lord and Lady Potter. When you deem her old enough, you can tell Miss Potter as well with the proviso that they not tell anyone else." She nods at my dumbfounded expression then as the mirror swirls and she disappears I hear her parting comment. "You need to be able to talk to someone about what has happened to you."

I turn to the toilet, do what I came in there for, wash my hands and leave the bathroom. I walk towards Cody and gesture the little elf to lead me back to her former Master with my mind in turmoil at what I have just been told.

Re-entering the study, Lord Potter tells me to take a seat in front of his portrait. I sank into the comfy leather chair and another elf appears with a pop and places a pitcher of water and glass at my elbow, then before I could express my thanks, the little creature popped out again.

"Now Commander" Begins Lord Potter as both himself and his wife take their own seats in their portrait. "Please tell us how you came to be the one to save our Granddaughter."

I look towards Cody, "Please take a seat as well Cody, you will want to hear this. Can you also please ward the room so no one apart from the four of us can interrupt please." I pause as she nods. "This warding is also to stop other elves and the portraits as well."

The Head Elf looks to her Master and the former Lord Potter nods at the elf. With a look of concentration on her face, Cody snaps her figures and a pale blue light surrounds the immediate area in which the four of us are sitting.

I nod my thanks to Cody and launch into my tale leaving nothing out. I know that Atopos did not mention Cody when she okayed me to tell a few people about my past, however, she hasn't come all fire and brimstone on my ass so she may have decided to let it slide.

Of course I may also be about to get my ass handed to me as soon as she can get me alone.

After I had told my tale to the stunned faces of my audience, I sat back for a few minutes and let them process what they had learnt. Another elf popped into the room and I couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter as they knocked on the blue dome surrounding us and it actually sounded like someone knocking on the front door of your house.

Cody snapped her fingers and the silencing dome disappeared with no noise at all. The new elf bowed to the portraits. "My Lord, Mistress Imogen be's starting to wakes up."

Both occupants of the portrait leapt out of their seats and disappeared out the edge of their painting. I thank the elf and look at my watch, realising with a start that it is almost 1230 already, no wonder I am hungry.

Cody grabs my arm. I look down at her and see the question in her eyes. I nod my head and with a snap we appear just outside Imogen's bedroom. I quietly open the door and walk in. The light from the clear day is streaming in through the open veranda doors and there is the slightest breeze bringing the smell of the ocean into the room.

In the middle of the bed, looking like she had not moved since she was put there by Cody this morning, Imogen looked like a slightly over sized doll. The bright red of her hair only highlighted just how pale her skin was. As I took up a position at the foot of the bed, I could not believe how the size of the bed appeared to dwarf the child making her appear even smaller than she really was.

I hear a sob to my right and I look up to see Lord Potter with his arms around his wife as she cried into his shoulder. I look back to the bed and notice that while I was distracted, Imogen had woken up and her neon green eyes appeared to be looking deep into my soul.

I make no move towards her and I keep my voice as low and as gentle as I could. "Good afternoon little one. How are you feeling?"

She flinches momentarily and looks away. I feel my shoulders slump in disappointment. Although I was expecting it, I was hoping that the fact that I was a guy wouldn't be held against me.

Her gaze meets mine again to my total surprise. And I heard her voice that was almost as soft as the breeze coming through the open doors. "You're the one that saved me? You pinkie promised that you would get me out of there" I could hear the question in the statement. I nod my head at her.

"Yes I am little one."

Her green eyes watered and with a sob, and a move that honestly scared the shit out of me, she launched herself out of the bed and straight into my arms. I grabbed her around the waist and took a couple of steps back from the force of her small body cannon balling into me. Her skinny arms wrapped around my neck and threatened to choke me with how hard she was holding on. Her body was shaking with the force of her sobbing.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She was whispering over and over into my ear as I held her to me.

I could feel a few tears leak from the corner of my own eyes as I started to rock my charge slowly back and forwards. I turn around and seat myself on the end of her bed while I wait for her to regain her composure.

After a few minutes, her crying subsides to a few shudders and the occasional hiccups. She lifts her face up to look at me and I smile at her runny nose and tear stained cheeks. I hold my hand out to the side and I feel Cody put a hankie into my palm. I slowly reach up and wipe the remains of her tears away and then hold the hankie up to her nose, where she immediately blows it to clear the congestion bought on by her crying fit.

"Better now little one?" I ask and she nods to me again pulling me into another hug. This one only lasts a few seconds before she pulls back. I look into her eyes and see the haunted shadows in the neon glow, but I also see the hesitant trust, and I realise that I need to get her away from England and from everything for a while.

I also decide then and there, that there is a good chance that she will not be going to Hogwarts this year. She can start a year late. Fuck what anyone else says, she is my Principal, and when it comes to her safety, my word is law.

"Imogen" I start, realising that I will have to be the one to introduce her to magic and house elves and her grandparents. Fuck. I've been magical for a grand total of about 36 hours, and I now have to explain it to the Heir of the Potter Household. Fuck.

"What I am going to ask you might seem really weird, but can you please wait until I finish before you ask me a question?"

Her big green eyes meet mine and she nods.

"Awesome." I smile at her. I also decide that while I will of course be mindful and not ignore the abuse that she has suffered. I am going to act as normal as I can around her.

I don't know if that will work. But what the hell else can I do? I'm fucking clueless here.

"Now I want you to totally ignore whatever you have been told in the past and answer me this question from your heart. Can you do that for me?" I wait until she nods again. "Cool" I pause to take a breath.

"Now I am going to Pinkie Promise here and I want you to listen very carefully ok, that no matter what you say, what you ask, or what you do, you will never be hit or treated like you have been in the past ok?" I feel her start to stiffen up in my arms and before she shuts down completely, I slowly hold my right pinkie up so she can see it.

Almost in slow motion she raises her own hand up and we link pinkies with each other. "Pinkie Promise" we whisper, pumping our hands up and down at the same time sealing the deal.

"Ok little one. Remember the rules." I mentally take a deep breath. "What would say if I told you that Unicorns and Dragons existed?" She looks at me sharply and I nod holding up my pinkie to show that we were still under the Pinkie Promise rules. "There are also elves, and werewolves and vampires and pixies. There are also ways that we can move from place to place with a snap of our fingers."

I take a breath hoping that this would not backfire in a massive way. I feel a slight shuddering from the young girl on my lap and start praying to the Fates that I haven't fucked this up.

"I would love it" she whispers to me. "I have always believed in magic, but the people I lived with said that it didn't exist and that only stupid sluts and little whores believe in things that do not exist." The shaking increases as does the death grip on my neck again.

"Shhhh little one" I whisper into her ear, pulling her body close to mine. "Remember what happened at that place will never happen to you again. I will not let it. Now if you ever want to talk to me about anything at all, you can. I also promise you that I will never leave you and I will always be here for you."

The entire time I feel like I am pleading with her not to turn inwards. I have a gut feeling that if she does turn inwards we will never get her back and this shadow of a person that I am holding in my arms will be all that is left.

I feel her nod against my chest. And I continue my explanation to her. "The reason why I had to ask if you about what you would say if I asked you if you knew that elves exist, is that I know a couple of them." She looked at me with that look that only kids can have for their elders that basically says, yeah right dick head.

Without missing a beat I hold up my right pinkie finger. "Pinkie Promise remember?" I ask. She rolls her eyes but at the same time I notice that there I alot of hope and dreams in those bright green eyes.

"Now I do not want you to be frightened ok" I tell her still whispering in her ear. "My friend Cody would not want you to be frightened of her. She is very gentle and she really wants to meet you." I pause and make eye contact with the little elf who is practically vibrating with the excitement of meeting her Mistress.

"Cody was one of the elves that helped me to save you last night from those people." I continued. I felt her tense up again. "Shhh, remember little one, you are never going back there ok?" I feel her nod against my neck.

"So would you like to meet Cody?" Imogen pulls back from me and meets my eyes. Her she nods her head and whispers.

"Yes please."

I slowly stand up and slide Imogen off my lap. As soon as she is standing up, she grabs my arm in a death grip and I slowly turn her to face the head Potter elf. Cody is standing about 10 feet from Imogen so as not to startle her Mistress.

When Imogen sees Cody I hear her whisper "Wow"

I watch with a smile of amusement on my face as the Potter Heir and the Head Potter Elf just stand there for two or three minutes just staring at each other. Cody slowly walks towards her Mistress. I feel Imogen's hand start to shake, and I gently squeeze her hand to show that everything was ok.

When Cody is within a foot or two, she stops and bows to Imogen. "Welcome back to Potter Manor Misstress. I is Cody, the head Potter Elf. The last time I is seeing you was when youse was only 6 months old."

Imogen let go of my hand and wrapped her arms around my waist. She looked up at me. "Is this true? This is my house?"

"Yes it is little one." I reply. Imogen turns back towards Cody and slowly extends her hand.

"Its nice to meet you Cody. My name is Imogen." She blushes and looks down. I tune out the conversation between elf and Heir as they start to get reacquainted with each other. Imogen let go of my waist and while still standing practically on my toes, I was taking this as a good sign.

Off to the side I hear a throat being cleared. I smile to myself and turn towards the portrait of the last Lord and Lady Potter and nod my head. "Imogen do you remember what I was saying before about unicorns and other magical things being real?" I ask the almost eleven year old. She nods and turns towards me.

"Well another thing that magic can do, is to make paintings that can talk to people." I go on to explain to Imogen about her Grandparents portrait and after I introduce them to each other. Imogen bursts into tears and wraps her arms around my waist again. Noticing that she was really getting herself worked up, I picked her up and took her to one of the lounge chairs. Sitting myself down in one I pulled her onto my lap where she sobbed out about meeting her real family and that they said that they loved her and no one had ever told her that before.

I wrapped my arms tightly around the sobbing girl. Cody pops into the room standing right in front of my holding a small vial of potion. "Calming Draft?" I mouth the question to her and she nods.

I take the vial off her and gently push Imogen off my chest. "Imogen I need you to drink this, it will help to calm you down." I told her quietly. With a shaking hand she takes the vile from me and downs the contents in two gulps.

I took the vial and handed it back to Cody who pops out again as the small girl in my arms sobbing was reduced to the occasional hiccup. I look onto her eyes. "Better?" I ask.

She nods at me and turns around in my arms and leans back against my chest and starts to continue the conversation with her grandparents. While the family was chatting, and Charlus and Dorea were telling their Granddaughter about the magical world and her part as the future Lady Potter – future because she wasn't eleven yet. I was thinking about ways of helping Imogen get over the years of abuse that she has suffered. I resolve to speak to Lord and Lady Potter when my principal has gone to bed tonight.

My musings were interrupted by Cody popping in with two other elves who were loaded down with a massive dinner tray each. "Mistress Potter and Master Alex need to eat." Cody admonished.

With a start I realised that I hadn't eaten since about 0400, and I did not know when the last time that Imogen had actually eaten. On the tray that was sat before the Potter Heir, there was a wooden holder that contained half a dozen vials of different coloured potions. I raised a questioning eyebrow at Cody who quietly responded that they were healing and nutrient potions for the Mistress. I thanked the two elves who had bought the food and they both smiled, bowed and popped out.

I gently interrupted the conversation between the three Potters and guided Imogen over to her dinner. Before she could take a bite, Cody told her Mistress what each potion did and that she had to take them before every meal. Imogen stiffened up with the mention of clearing up her stunted growth, but she relaxed when I mentioned that soon it she would be the correct size for her age.

I could see that Imogen was about to inhale her food, so I gently reminded her that there would always be food for her. So she should eat slowly and to really enjoy her first meal in her new house. We quietly ate our meal and afterwards Imogen announced that she was tired and was going to bed. Cody nodded and ushered her Mistress towards the bathroom to get ready for bed.

I stood up, and motioned with my head towards the Potters who nodded at me that they understood to meet in my room shortly. I started to make my way towards my own room. I looked at my watch and saw that it was only 1900, but I figured that I would continue my conversation with the adult Potters then depending on the time, ask one of the elves to grab me a book from the library that dealt with the modern history of this Dimension so I had a better idea of what I should be expecting.

I heard the sound of small feet quickly crossing the carpet towards me and I turned towards the bathroom door to catch the little body that had launched itself into my arms.

"Thank you for saving me Alex." Imogen said looking into my eyes. I slowly leant forward and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"You are quite welcome Imogen." I said to her. "My bedroom is just though that door." I told her while turning her to show her which doorway I was referring too. "If you need anything during the night you can come and get me ok?"

She nodded at me and I let her down and turned her back towards the bathroom. "Good night little one, I will see you when you wake up." With that I went through into my bedroom and closed the door separating our rooms.

"We have a problem Alex." The voice of Lord Potter came from above my fire place.

I nod my head at the portrait. "Funny you should say that My Lord." I say as I casually drop into one of my lounge chairs while pulling out my little green brain. "Depending on how large the Potter holdings are, I may have a solution."

**Thanks for reading...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Still not mine...**

**This chapter pretty much wrote itself in five hours and has now taken the story in a totally different direction than what I had originally thought.**

**Thanks to my 2 reviewers (**Dreamless-Sleep777 & sfjoellen**) for all 3 chapter so far. Your ideas, advice and help are greatly appreciated.**

**Please R&R people Cheers**

**Chapter 4...**

I sat back in my chair and took out my little green brain. "Imogen hasn't really talked to me yet, but I expect that to change in the next day or so, I have permission from the Fates to tell her how I came to be a part of her life and I want to do that sooner rather than later." I told the Portrait.

"One question though, and it may not be my place to ask so please tell me if I offend." I pause and look at Lord Potter and he nods his head to allow me to continue.

"Regardless of where I have come from, my remit with regards to Imogen is that of a body guard and protector. I have no real say in how she lives her life or what she can or cannot do. If she decides to do something that I consider too dangerous, as her body guard I can forbid her from continuing on her planned course of action, but she can still tell me to piss off and do it anyway."

I pause to think of the best way to ask the question. In the end I decide fuck it. If they don't like it they can fire my ass. I look back to the Potters. "Is there a portrait of her parents or is it known if they are even alive or dead?"

Lady Potter shook her head and I noticed the tear tracks on her painted features. "There is a portrait of them in the gallery, but it hasn't woken up yet." My head whips towards her. She dabbed at her eyes with a lace hankie and her husband took over.

"This can be for two reasons. Either the painting needs the Head of House to activate them which is not needed for House Potter. Our portraits are activated immediately." He pauses and places a hand on his wife's shoulder.

I wait silently for him to continue. I have a really bad feeling about what he is about to say. Please, please, please be wrong. I doubt it, my gut feelings are usually pretty spot on.

Our eyes meet, and he concludes his statement. "Upon our death."

"Fuck me." I whisper, the expression on Lady Potters face tells me the high born former Lady of the House is not impressed with my language, but the look on her husband's face tells me he totally agrees with me.

While this is a major problem, it does not change my original plan. I still need to protect Imogen and keep her away from the old goat fucker, finding and securing her parents just adds another element to the situation.

"Question" I look to the Potters above me. "We know that Dumbles put a blocking ward on Imogen that prevented the House Elves from tracking or finding her. Could the same wards prevent the portraits from activating in the event of her parents deaths?" I know it is a shitty question, but I don't want to go changing my plans for what could turn out to be a pair of dead bodies.

Lord Potter shakes his head. "No Commander, the magic of the portraits is old magic. The Potters were actually the ones who invented the spells and rune sequences that actually enable us to interact with the living. The signature blocking spell has only been around for the last fifty or so years. And it was actually invented by Albus Dumbledore."

I look at him in disbelief. "What the fuck" I ignore the huff from Lady Potter "is going on with Dumbledore and his obsession with your family."

I get up from my seat and start to pace around the room. It is times like this that I really wish I hadn't stopped smoking. As bad as they are for you, they did help me to think. My mind goes off in several different directions, while I try and think of what I would have done in Dumbles situation.

How would I have gotten rid of the Potters? More importantly, would I have gotten rid of them? According to the books, they were both extremely powerful magic users. They would be an asset. How would I use such an asset? More importantly, how do I control that asset and enforce compliance?

They are a liability, however by using their daughter as a hostage would enforce compliant behaviour on them.

Hostage taking 101, if you have someone, you need a bigger something or someone to enforce good behaviour. If you take away all there hope, then you lose control of them and they knowing that they have nothing left will do something stupid and could fuck up your whole operation.

"Fuck it, I need answers." I say to myself. I turn to the painting above the fire. "Lord and Lady Potter, do you believe in Fate?" I ask them with a smirk as I grab the tattoos on my wrists and summon The Fates to me.

There was a shimmer in the air and the three fates are standing before me. "My Ladies thank you for coming" I bow to them. There is a gasp from the portraits and I glance over to see the Lady Potter had fainted into her husband's arms. Lord Potter smirks at me and then helps his wife onto the couch behind him. Once she is settled, he moves so close to the front of his frame, I thought he was going to fall out.

"_What do you need Alex?" _The musical voice of Clotho surrounds me.

"I am guessing this is one of the things that I needed to figure out for myself, but is it true that James and Lilly Potter are alive?" I ask, getting straight down to business. I have no patients with diplomacy or the niceties of small talk."

"_Lord and Lady Potter"_ the Fates bow to portrait. Lady Potter sighs and sinks back down in another faint. Lord Potter shrugs his shoulders and returns the bow.

"My Ladies. Thank you for answering the Commanders call." The old man pauses and looks at his wife for a second. "Could you please help to find my son and daughter in law?"

"_If we can answer his questions we will. Some things must not be told however."_ Lachesis informs him. Lord Potter bows his head at the Fates in acknowledgment.

"_You are right AJ."_ Clotho turns back to me. _"This was one of the things that you had to figure out for yourself. And aren't you glad we did not turn you into a girl?"_

The water I had just been drinking sprayed from my mouth as I looked towards the Fates who were smirking at me. I chose to ignore the comment and resume pacing.

"_We can only guide you with the answers here Hairetzio, you need to figure most of this out yourself." _Atopos tells me. I nod in acknowledgment and let my mind run free.

"Think out loud Commander" The figure of Lord Potter commands me from his place above the fire. "We can't help if we can't hear you." I pause in my pacing and look at the Fates and Lord Potter and the now once again conscious Lady Potter. I nod my head and continue pacing. Now outer monologuing instead of inner.

"My difficulty is knowing what parts of the stories are correct and which parts are fucked up." A shushing noise from the portrait makes me look to an irate Lady Potter who has her husband's hand covering her mouth.

"I apologise Lady Potter. I am a simple soldier. I swear a lot. I will try and moderate it, however it is who I am. I am not here to dress up and be paraded around at high class parties. I am here to keep your family safe that is it."

I take a drink and continue. "Now from what the books say, both James and Lily Potter are powerful magic users. Lily excels in potions and James in runes and was a brilliant Hit Wizard." At a nod from the Potters I continue. "Now Dumbles although he is both a Master of Transfiguration and Alchemy, only has a general knowledge of other branches of magic."

I turn to the Fates. "I am assuming however that over the course of his life and the fact that he is a Master of Legilimency has enabled him to acquire more than just a basic working knowledge of the main branches of magic."

A nod from Clotho allows me to continue.

"I am thinking that he has kept James and Lily alive because they are Masters in their own fields, and what better way to have people working on your plan than someone that everyone thinks died a decade ago."

"Now at this time I am not concerned with what his end goal is. I just want the parents of my principal safe." I stop pacing and look at the painting.

"Lord Potter, if I have to go and get Lily and James I will be leaving Imogen here. How safe are the wards of the manor?"

Charlus eyes seem to glaze over in thought. "They could be better. Having a Potter now living in the manor has started the process of recharging, however it will take time. The house while hidden under a fidelius charm has been without a living Potter here for a decade. The charm has started to fade. If you hadn't bought Imogen here the ward would have faded within six months."

He stopped talking to allow me to assimilate what I had been told. "Sirius was the secret keeper and because Dumbledore killed him, once he left the manor that night, he could not get back in here. The secret passed onto James as the Head of House. The secret can't be taken by force from a Head of Houses mind. It has to be willingly given."

"We did not tell you this morning because we did not get to it, but seventy five percent of the Potters liquid wealth is hidden here in the manor." He pauses and I glance at him while I finish a lap of the room and start to turn around.

"This works out to be approximately eight hundred million pounds." The turn I started turned into a stumble and I almost go ass up onto the floor in my shock.

"Wow." I rather eloquently mumble.

"Indeed. The rest of our wealth is tied up in a mix of non-magical and magical businesses with about two hundred million galleons in the family vault in Gringotts. I believe he has a Goblin helping him to the Potter vault, however there is nothing that can be done about that until Imogen turns eleven and goes to the bank. Which he or his associate will be on the lookout for"

They won't be expecting me there with her though. I think to myself.

'Ok" he is defiantly also after the money. From what I understand the Potters are one of the top ten richest families in the Wizarding world and you also have a seat on the Wizangamot. Which if he has claimed magical guardianship over Imogen enables him to vote the Potter seat in addition to his own."

"That is correct AJ" Lady Potter informed me. "However Dumbledore does not have a seat. As a rule, one family is only entitled to one seat and one vote, however if the Head of House is still underage and they have no parents or guardians and there is no will to be executed, the Wizangamot votes to appoint a magical guardian who is responsible for the raising of that child."

"This is one of the reason that Noble and Ancient houses ensure that as soon as there is any change of circumstances in their families, they update their wills." She paused to take a breath.

Which I find weird as she is a portrait and they are not alive.

"This also included teaching of their responsibilities and the fact that they inherit their title and become an adult on their twelfth birthday, not seventeenth. So until that time, the Magical Guardian has the vote of the house they are stewarding"

"So." I resume thinking out loud "While it is not totally important right now, it will be in the future. Dumbles wants the Potter fortune. To do that he needs to control the family, which until I busted Imogen out last night he did." I turn back to Lord Potter.

"I am guessing now that the Potter Heir is in residence that James no longer is the secret keeper to this location?"

"That is correct." Lord Potter informed me. "This is also true regarding the other magical Potter properties around the world."

I nod and file that information away for later as well.

"I have a pretty obvious idea on what I would do if I were him with regards to stashing away anyone I needed where no one would think to look. How rich is Dumbledore?" I ask the room in general.

"Pfft" there was a scoff from the portrait, and I look at Lady Potter. "The Dumbledore's lost the Noble and Ancient status about two hindered and fifty years ago. They announced a blood feud with Abraham Potter. It was discovered that the Dumbledore's forged a marriage contract with Abraham after they had dosed him with a control potion to get tat the Potter wealth because although the Dumbledore's were and ancient family, the then Head of House Percius was a gambler and lost their fortune to the Goblins.

Abrahams father James discovered this and called the Dumbledore's out on the floor of the Wizangamot chamber. In the ensuring dual, Percius Dumbledore lost the dual and his wand arm. Knowing that that he had lost everything he declared that there would be no peace between the families and he nor his family would rest until the Potter line was extinct and the Dumbledore's got back what was taken from them."

"What the fuck?" I ask. This does not make any friggin sense to me. "He drugs the Potter Heir and tries to steal the Potter fortune through a sham of a marriage contract, he was caught out and lost the rest of the family fortune in fines and he blames the Potters because he fucked up?"

"Yes, that is basically it." Lady Potter I notice has chosen to ignore my frequent use of bad language.

"So that is his most likely end game. Finish off the Potters. But then what? What are his positions in the Magical world?"

"Exactly the same as in the Books Alex." Lachesis answers me. "And yes your supposition so far is totally correct about his plans for the Potters. He has other more sinister plans in the place, however to complete these plans, he must have the Potter fortune."

I nod my thinks to her and resume pacing. "Ok, knowing that Dumbles is broke also means that he would not really have any houses to stash Lily and James. From memory, he isn't very comfortable in the non-magical world so for now I can rule that out?" I ask my question to the Fates and they nod their agreement.

"Thank god, we would be humped otherwise." Something clicks in my head. "I have them in Azkaban."

"What?" came from Lady Potter. "How did you arrive at that conclusion AJ?"

I stop pacing and turn to the room at large. "Think about it. He has a Phoenix that can cross any wards." I pause and look at the fates. "I'm guessing the phoenix is an answer I will have to figure out as well?"

Clotho nods _"Sorry Alex, we cannot help you in any way with that."_ I nod my acceptance.

"How do we ramp up our wards here to prevent phoenix travel?" I ask the Potters.

"Do not worry yourself Commander, those wards are already in existence." Charlus informed me. "However, they are like the fidelius ward and also need to be powered up which will take time."

"Is there a way to turbo charge the wards?" I ask in frustration. "I'm not trying to be rude here, however, I have the Heir to the Potter line asleep in the next room, and we are talking about breaking her parents free from a decade in captivity. What do we have that will stop Dumbles from coming straight here and smashing through the wards before they are up to full power?"

"_Bullets."_ Lachesis answered simply. _"Magical shields will not stop bullets from a gun as they travel to fast. They will be stopped by the things that will stop them in the non-magical world, but a Protego or even an Agis shield will not stop them."_

"Fuck yeah." I breathe. With my F88 I only need to be four hundred meters from him and I can send him to the next great adventure before I go and get the Potters out of Azkaban."

My happy musings are interrupted by Clotho. She looks at me and I can see what she is about to say in her eyes.

"No fucking way." I look at the other two Fates. "Let me guess, it's not the time to cut his Thread yet is it?"

The three Sister shake their heads.

"FUCK IT" I yell, and resume pacing. "Can I damage him?" I ask the room in general.

Clotho takes this one as well. _"Yes you can our Hairetzio."_ Her voice calms me down_. "If you think back to the story you were told this morning about when the Potters were kidnapped from here, you will realise what the elves were telling you."_

"Bugger." I realise what she is implying. "The fucker has made Horcrux's hasn't he?" another thought hits me like ton of bricks. "And I'm also guessing that the Muses got them wrong with the exception of Imogen didn't they? And you can't fucking tell me what they are or how many either"

The silence is deafening and all the answer / confirmation I need. Fuck it.

"How do we get the one that is in Imogen out? That has to be our first priority." I ask the room.

Lord Potter answers this and the rage is evident in his voice. "Take her to the Goblins my boy. They will be able to remove it without harming her."

"I will take her tomorrow My Lord." I answer with a slight bow.

"_Alex our time has come to an end."_ Clotho informs me. _"However, your idea for Azkaban is correct, the Potters are indeed there and they are hidden under glamour and silencing charms in the deepest cell on the island."_ She pauses and I notice that they are starting to fade. _"Your weapons will also stop Dementors and you ability to bypass wards will also assist you."_ She faded from site. _"Good luck Alex."_

Well that was informative. I think to myself. Ok at least now I have a plan and a way ahead.

"Gordy." I call out and the little elf pops into existence. Could you bring me some dinner please? Steak medium to well done, chips with pepper and BBQ sauce and a coke."

"Of course Master Alex." Gordy bowed. "Gordy brings when it is ready."

I thank the elf with a smile and he pops out. I turn to the Potters and resume my seat. Looking at Lord Potter I continue from before. "Do the Potters own any holiday homes in a holiday area anywhere in the world?" Both Potters look at me funny. I was planning on hiding Imogen in the non-magical world for a year or so before enrolling her at a magical school in Australia or the Americas." I pause as Cody pops in.

"Mistress Imogen is asleep Master Alex." She told me. "Mistress asked me to tell you that she wants to spend tomorrow with you so she can thank you for saving her life." She pauses. "Cody would also like to thank you Master Alex. You bought our Mistress home to us." She blushes as I put my hand on her shoulder.

"You and the other Potter elves are most welcome Cody. Gordy is bringing me dinner and then I am going to bed. Could you ask one of the elves to wake me up at 0600 tomorrow morning? Don't worry about breakfast when you wake me up, I will be going for a run. I will eat when I come back."

"I wills do that Master Alex." She nods her head so quick her ears flap.

"Thank you Cody, you can retire for the night."

She bows to the Portrait and then to me. "Good night Lord and Lady Potter, good night Master Alex" without waiting for a response she pops out and not ten seconds later, Gordy pops in with my dinner.

"Thank you Gordy, you can retire." With a small bow, he disappears as well. I take the lid off the tray and laugh at the size of the half a cow and mountain of chips sitting on two separate plates. How the hell am I supposed to eat all this? I hear a chuckle from Lady Potter.

"Next time Alex, you have to tell them what size portion you want. That is a large portion and is the default size meal you will get from the elves. They do not want you to go hungry."

I let my own laugh. Lesson learnt. While I tuck in to the perfectly cooked meal I resume my conversation with the elder Potters.

"It is my intention to keep her as far away from Hogwarts and Dumbles as I possibly can."

Both Charlus and Dorea look guiltily at me. "That may be a problem" Charlus says.

I contain my eye roll. Of course nothing has been friggin easy since I got blasted into this Dimension.

"About twenty years ago a law was put in place that any magical child that is born in England must attend Hogwarts. A child's parents will be sent to Azkaban for the duration of the child's schooling and their money and possessions will be confiscated until the child finishes school then half will be returned to them."

"Dumbledore?" I ask in exasperation. Both Potters nod at me. "Well it looks like I am going to be going to Hogwarts as a full time retainer to the House of Potter then." I tell the figures in the portrait.

"Yes that is allowed. There is nothing that Dumbles can do as it is in the founding charter of Hogwarts as laid down by the Four Founders of the school and cannot be changed. You would not be the only body guard there." Dorea's smile reminded me of a shark.

"It should also be told to you, that if you do accompany my granddaughter to Hogwarts, if Dumbles tries anything, you can use the same charter against him."

This is sounding better and better.

"Although." Lord Potter proceeded to jump all over my sand castle. "He is a master at manipulation and telling half truths. You cannot manufacture a confrontation with him. But at the same time, he will not be overt. He will wear you down little by little."

I nodded my understanding of the warning.

"However" Lady Potter continued. If Imogen is not ready to attend Hogwarts on the year of her eleventh birthday, there are no penalties levied against the house for twelve months. Meaning that we can legally hold her back for a year and there is nothing that can be done."

She must have seen the question in my eyes, for she expanded her explanation. "This loop hole is because in the times of the founders, children did not start their magical education at Hogwarts until they were twelve. The ministry were unable to go against the magic of the founders so they had to change the law."

I breathe a sigh of relief at this news. I can still get her away and hopefully healed during the year that I have just been given. I also have to wonder if Dumbles was going to send Imogen her letter to come to Hogwarts or just keep her ignorant for the next two years. I then realised that as her magical guardian he couldn't do that as everyone would then ask questions.

My time table has just moved up slightly. I now have to make sure that Imogen and her family are safe within the next few weeks before her birthday.

Great, no fucking pressure...

I re-ask my question from before about the Potters owning any holiday homes that are off the Magical radar so to speak.

Both Potters smile at each other then Charlus turns to me. "Quite a few years ago, about 1970 or so, I decided to expand and diversify the Potter holdings into the non-magical world. During this time, Dorea and I took the time to travel the world and see the sites. While we were travelling I met this non-magical man by the name of _Isadore Sharp. He had just finished founding a hotel chain called the Four Seasons but was bored with it and was looking for a new challenge."_

_Fuck me this was huge. The Four Seasons are friggin everywhere. This could be as close to perfect as you could get. If we need to we can move around all over the place every week or so, which will add to the safety factor._

_"We made him an offer and within a few weeks we had bought the resort off him. Since that time, the business has flourished and the Potters own hotels in almost every country in the world."_

_I nod my understanding at him. This is sounding better and better. _

_"The best thing is." The portrait continued is that the name Potter is not on any of the documentation. It is owned by a holding company which we own, so there is no way that a pure blood bigot like Dumbledore or Voldemort"_

_Okay I think to myself, the basted does exist here after all._

"Will be able to find my family there. "In fact I think I have the perfect place for you to hide my family Alex."

I wait to hear the man's proposal. Nothing I had heard so far was in anyway bad.

"One of the places we built a resort is on the island of Motu Tofari."

He was forced to break off his explanation as the coke I had just drink went straight into my lungs and caused a massive coughing fit. After I had stopped coughing and I was positive my left lung wasn't going to land on the carpet. I turned and gave an apology to the Potters.

"Sorry Lord and Lady Potter, just Bora-Bora is the one place that I have always wanted to visit. It has some of the best diving in the world and the hiking up the mount..." I trail off in embarrassment at the look they are giving me.

"Don't worry AJ." laughed Lady Potter. "We spent most of our summers there so we know what the place is like. We have a large villa that is separate from the hotel but still on the property. It has intruder detection wards so it does provide some safety."

This is sounding even better. The location and the weather will do wonders for the recovering family. I nod to the portrait. "This sounds perfect. How long will it take to move the family there?"

Lord Potter answered that for me. "If you tell Cody tomorrow, she will ensure that the appropriate people are informed and that the villa is made ready for your arrival. We also have a portrait there so we can stay with the family as well."

I was about to ask another question when a scream tore through Potter Manor. I was out of my seat in a flash, with my Glock in my hand just as quickly. Lady Potter gasped at how quickly I moved, but I didn't pay any attention to her as I burst through the closed door separating mine and my Principals room.

As I came into the room, the pistol was up as I checked for threats to the Potter Heir. Seeing none, I looked to the bed and saw that Imogen was sitting up with her arms around her knees rocking back and forwards.

I put my pistol on her bed side table and ignore the flinch as I bend down and scoop the tiny ten year old into my arms. There is a double pop beside me and Cody and Gordy appear looking ready for war.

"It's ok guys" I reassure the elves. "She had a dream. I will stay with her for the rest of the night." They nod at me and prepare to leave when I stop them. "Cody, we are going to Bora-Bora, I want to be able to leave by the end of the week. Can you set it up tomorrow?"

With a nod, both her and Gordy pop out of the room leaving with the still shaking girl in my arms. "Nightmare?" I ask her. She nods rapidly and I slowly run my hand through her hair and start humming a random song to her. She slowly relaxes and her sobbing stops.

"Thank you AJ" she sniffs and I hand her a tissue off the bed side table. She blows her nose and wipes her eyes.

"Not a problem Imogen. I will always be here for you." I reassure her.

"Thank you for saving me from That Place." She continues. "I had being praying for someone to come and get me for years. I am glad my prayers were answered."

"So am I little one." I lean back against the headboard with her still in my lap. I had the feeling that she wasn't going to be letting go anytime soon.

"Where did you come from Alex?" she asks me. "How did you find me?"

I look down at her upturned face and I see the need for truth in the neon green eyes. "That is a pretty big question little one, with a pretty big answer. Do you want to hear it now or wait till the morning?"

"Now please." There was no hesitation in the answer and she squirms in my lap to get into a more comfortable position. "If I fall asleep, we can continue when I wake up." She smiles shyly at me and my heart goes out to the little waif.

I decide then and there, that I would do whatever it took to protect the Heir of House Potter from any harm.

Decision made I start to tell Imogen about how I came to be in this Dimension. I left nothing out. I even told her of the conversation that she had interrupted between her grandparents and myself.

Some people would criticize me for filling the girls head with things that she wasn't ready for. I believe that while she may only be ten, this young girl has not had a child hood. Thanks to the greed and cruelty of one man, her life has been shit ever since he came and kidnapped her.

I am also of the opinion that if she is well informed and knows the potential dangers that are out there waiting for her, she will make better choices and be more inclined to listen to me with regards to her safety.

I finish my story to her just as my trusty G shock beeps 0100 in the morning.

"Now I have to ask you one thing little one." I pause and she looks up at me. "The Fates have sent me to be your protector and body guard. It also look that if my op in the next few days is successful, I will be looking after your parents for the time being as well." She nods her understanding.

"My question is this. While the Fates have given me this job, it is still your decision to accept me into the role. If you say you do not want me. I will have to leave and they I'm pretty sure that they will find someone else."

"Well you going to be stuck with me till I am old and grey Alex." She smiled and it lit up the room. "You saved my life. I have never had anyone do that for me. I couldn't have any friends in school because Dudley kept scaring them away. You are the first person that I can remember actually caring for me. I'm never going to let you go."

With that declaration she snuggles down onto my chest again and I resume stroking her hair listening to her breathing getting slower and deeper. I feel myself starting to drift off and I let the exhaustion of the last 36 hours claim me.

**Thanks for reading...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Still not mine...**

**Thanks to my 2 reviewers (**Dreamless-Sleep777 & sfjoellen**) for all chapters so far. Your ideas, advice and help are greatly appreciated.**

**This chapter got re-done 3 times, don't know what to think of it, but it's here anyway. I can't seem to stop writing this story. I cant keep up with the flow of ideas. **

**Please R&R people Cheers**

**Chapter 5...**

"Alex!" a voice screamed. Before whoever it had fully registered, I had grabbed Imogen from where she was still asleep against my chest and rolled off the bed onto the floor, grabbing my Glock as I rolled. I also heard an alarm start to wail throughout the manor.

"Reducto" another voice yelled a blasting curse.

I hit the floor covering Imogen with my body and flicked the safety off the pistol. Brining the gun up, I tracked the three masked figures in the room all pointing wands at where I had just been. The fact that these people were pointing a weapon at myself and my Principal immediately designated them as Tangos – targets- in my head. Tango one was the closest with the other two standing a few feet behind the first and several meters apart, he took the first double tap as I bought my weapon to bear.

The first round went straight through the centre of mass and the follow up round, straight through the bridge of his nose. The 9mm hollow point rounds that were loaded into my Glock ensured that the exit hole was a fuck load bigger than the entry one. It also guaranteed that whoever was shot by one stayed down.

As Tango one dropped in a spray of red mater from the hole the size of a saucer in the back of his head, I was already lining up at Tango two when there was a double pop behind both targets and they were immediately frozen in place. Cody and Gordy looked ready to kill.

I roll to my feet and race over to kick the wand away from the downed tango and turn my attention to the other two. I need not have worried. The two elves had them trussed up so tight with their magic that their faces were beginning to turn blue.

"Loosen the binding's guys. I need them alive to question them." The two elves did not look happy with their orders but complied regardless. "Not too loose though. Just enough so they can breathe." A pair of bloodthirsty grins answered the clarified order and the elves were happy again.

"Alex. Something is happening to Imogen." Dorea called to me from her painting. I raced back over to my Principal to see that she was thrashing around on the floor and foaming at the mouth. I picked her up and dumped her on the bed, calling for help as I did. A little elf popped in right beside me. Not giving her the chance to say anything I ordered her to take over from Cody and for Cody to get whoever they use as a healer right now.

There was a series of pops as several elves appeared and disappeared all at the same time. I recognise one of the elves from the other night when we bought Imogen to the manor for the first time. He waved what looked like a gnarled tree root over Imogen and she was surrounded by a sickly grey light that seemed to pulse with evil intent.

"Master Alex, someone is trying to poses and track Mistress Imogen. I believe that it is the soul fragment from grey beard calling out to its master to come and retrieve it. I can put her into stasis which should stop the possession but I thinks that they have already tracked the Mistress's location. But it will only be temporary. Whoever is tracking her is very strong."

I nod at the elf and tell him to go ahead. Suddenly Imogen stops moving and there is a coating of ice over her body.

The alarms suddenly cut off and in the silence I can hear Charlus calling to me. "Alex the manor wards are not yet up to power. If what Paul just is true that fucker is going to be coming here as soon as he realises that his kidnapers are not returning. This should have been an in an out snatch and grab but they have taken too long."

I realise that Charlus is correct. We didn't have alot of time. "How do we power up the wards?" I yell as I race back into my room and straight to my bed. I reach under it and grab my rifle, body armour and the thigh holsters containing my other pistol. I start putting my gear on as I return to the master bedroom and another elf pops in with a pair of socks and my combat boots.

I smile my thanks at the little elf and she pops away again. Charlus had a thoughtful look on his face as I threw on my boots and started strapping on my weapons. "Blood is the only way. He said to me."

"Ok I'm guessing Imogen's blood as she is a Potter?" I ask as different alarm starts to sound. Charlus nods at me. "That is the black magic alarm." He states. I raise a questioning eyebrow at him as I clip my Styer onto my body armour and cock the rifle. "It only goes off when truly evil magic is detected within a mile of the boundary fence.

"Well we are out of fucking time." I turn to Cody.

"Is there somewhere in the Manor that Imogen will be totally protected and no one knows where it is?" I ask her.

"Yes Master Alex. There be a place, Cody and Gordy are the only ones who is knowing where it is and how to get to it. It is."

"Stop." I order, the alarms start to get louder and more insistent. Fuck. Whatever or whoever it is, is incoming. "Cody take her now. Go, go,go" the second go is not out of my mouth before both of the elves put a hand each on Imogen's frozen body and the elf that put her into stasis and the four of them vanished, just as the windows of the bedroom disappeared with a thunderous detonation that had glass tearing across the room.

Luckily the little elf who had taken over looking after the frozen prisoners was protected by one of the bodies. The two tangos on the other hand were not so lucky. As I dived for cover beside the bed, I watched out of the corner of my eye as they were both ripped apart from the flying glass.

In the aftermath of the explosion, I took a peek over the top of the bed and see a figure dressed in a grey robe enter through the hole where the windows used to be. His face was obscured by a deep hood so I could not make out any details. I noticed there was a pitch black shadow that seemed to be perched on his right shoulder.

"Interesting my friend." He said in a strong voice turning to the shadow on his shoulder. "She was here only moments ago and now I cannot trace her at all." He looked around the room, and his gaze did not even stop as it passed over the three shredded corpses of his kidnappers before they came to rest on my hiding spot.

"I can however." he paused "Sense the person who is cowering behind the bed." He raised his wand and suddenly my arms and legs went completely boneless. I lost my grip on my rifle and it hung uselessly from the clip on my body armour. Another flick of his wand and I float limply over the bed and towards the figure standing in the centre of the room.

When I stop moving I find that I am looking into a pair twinkling dull watery blue eyes. For some reason, he doesn't pay any attention to my weapons at all. It is almost as if he doesn't recognise them for what they are.

I feel a force slam into my mind and I inwardly cringe waiting for the pain of his Legilimency probe to batter the shit out of my mind. But his probe seems to bounce of a solid wall, causing a brief flicker of pain and shock to flash across his eyes.

I feel the probe retreat, and his eyes widen slightly. The blue seems to dull even further and a red tinge appears around the edges, the probe returns in even greater force and as well as a spear trying to break through. I also notice another probe start to slither around inside my head trying to gain entrance to my thoughts.

While this is going on, my protected mind – thank you Clotho – is planning and strategising. I know that I'm probably going to get all kinds of fucked up once he figures that my mind is impenetrable.

Fuck it. I decide. Let's see where this ends up. It's going to hurt regardless, so I might as well have some fun. I start to return the stare and I feel the slithering probe falter slightly as he realises that I am not cowering under his stare, and his red tinged blue eyes actually focus on me and not on seeing through me.

Once I am sure that I have his attention I yawn as widely as I could. "Are you done?" I ask him using the voice that a parent uses on an unruly two year old. His face turns incredulous.

"Are you mocking me boy?" He snarls and I feel both his probes leave my head. Legilimency requires intense concentration to be maintained with any great force, and my mocking of him was enough to cause his concentration to falter. That and I think his poor little ego may have been bruised.

"Actually." I drawl back at him. "No I'm not mocking you. You are boring the fuck out of me." his eyes loose more of the blue and the red becomes more pronounced. This could be a problem.

With a snarl he backhands me across the face and I start to spin around on the spot. I am still held in position by his magic. The spinning causes me to laugh. Whoops. "No one mocks me." He points his wand at my face and yells out "Crucio!"

Fuck.

Holy fucking hell. This shit hurts. I don't even try not to scream. I have been tortured before, but nothing compared to this. The only thing I can compare it to would be to hook yourself up to a truck battery by your balls. I can feel the agony of the curse in every part of my body. Nothing is spared as I scream my lungs out.

He holds the curse on me for a minute or two before releasing both it, whatever he is using to hold me up, and the thing that made my limbs go rubbery. Not that being able to use my arms is any use to me at the moment. I am shaking so fucking much that I couldn't even pull the fucking trigger let alone point the fucking gun at him.

Then and there, I decide that one day I will be bringing this mother fucker whoever he is down.

He crouched down in front of me."Hurts doesn't it?" He smiled at me. I could see the madness in his eyes. "Where is the girl?" he asks. When I don't answer him, he stands up and points his wand at me again. "Crucio!"

He once again holds the curse on me for a few minutes. He obviously knows the potential consequences of holding someone under this curse for a prolonged period. I gasp and try to get enough air into my lungs to stop from passing out. I realised that when you are under that much pain. It actually stops you from breathing.

"Why don't you have a turn?" He gives a maniacal laugh and the black shadow on his shoulder starts to let out the most fucking horrible noise. It has no effect on me but I realise exactly what it is trying to do. It wants to penetrate right into my bones and drive all the hope and happy thoughts from my mind.

Just like listening to Justin Beiber...

This is one type of torture that I am almost immune to. Mental. Mind games have no effect on my mind what so ever, they just annoy me. I think back to the books and with shock I realise what it is. The noise that this thing is making is the feeling of a Dementor, turned into noise.

That is fucking impressive. But it also has no effect on me so I decide to have a bit of fun. Well as much fun as I can have while I'm shaking like a fucking leaf from the after effects of the crucio.

I look who ever the fuck this guy straight in the eye and try as hard as I could to make the same sound as whatever the fuck that thing is. The flying shadow stops and they both look at me incredulously as I smirk at them.

"Crucio!" the madman screams pointing his wand at me. Holy fuck this time it is way worse. He really put some power into this one. As suddenly as it started, it stopped. He sneers down at me. "Maybe you need a different type of motivation." Outwardly I'm not showing any emotion on my face – well I hope I'm not. Inwardly I'm shitting myself.

He flicks his wand at me and I feel myself getting elevated and turned onto my stomach. A muttered word later and my shirt and body armour are ripped from my body and flung against the wall. Thank god the safety was on the rifle or that could have been fucking messy when it hit the wall.

"Hmmm, such a well muscled physique." He taunts me as I feel him running a finger along my shoulder blades. Despite myself, a shudder went through my body at his touch. "Would you like to have another go my pet? Maybe this time you could demonstrate your other special talents?"

Whatever the fuck this demonic beast is lands on my back and I instantly feel a searing pain and smell burning flesh. The pain is not as bad as the cruciatus and I am determined not to scream. The pain moves all over my back and I realise that the mother fucker is walking over as much of the exposed flesh as he can.

"Tell me where she is and this will all be over." The fucking psycho actually croons in my ear.

Ok I have just added this fucking bird thing as well to my list of things and people I am going to seriously fuck up. God this hurts. I feel the tears running down off the tip of my nose. I look at my arms dangling down and touching the floor and see that they are still shaking from the curses. I wonder if I will have any permanent damage.

"This does not seem to be working my friend. How about we combine our talents then hmmm?"

Knowing what was about to hit me I take a deep breath and brace myself for the pain. I shouldn't have bothered. This time instead of a shout the spell is hissed with such venom that it seems to freeze the room.

This time the pain is like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. As the seconds stretch into minutes, and my screams echo louder than ever around the manor. I begin to wish that I actually had died in that cave and that I had never heard of the Fates.

The Fates! The name echoes through my battered mind. Even though my muscles are locked up tighter than a bank vault from the curse being held on me, I somehow manage to grab my wrists and beg the Fates to help me.

Before, when the Fates had appeared before me, it was with a gentle shimmer and they seemed to fade into view with only the slightest feeling of their presence. This time however, they appeared with a sound and a force like the end of the fucking world.

I started to receive mental flashes of what was happening around me.

The Wizard was blasted off his feet and straight into the wall behind him. As he slid down the wall leaving behind an impression of his impact, the freaky shadow bird, who had been blown off my back, stabilised himself and with a flap of his wings dived at the Fates.

None of the three of them moved but the shadow was suddenly stopped in mid dive. The Fates turned their attention as one on the crumpled form in front of them. I could not clearly see what was happening, I was just glad that the pain had stopped. I couldn't help the shakes and the sobs that still shook my body.

"_Shhhh AJ."_ I vaguely recognise Clotho's voice in my head, even though I can only see the bottom of her robes. _"You did well to call us. Rest and we will take care of everything."_

"I I I cccan't." I stutter. "Hhhavvee to ggeet Immm Immoggen." I stutter.

I feel a gentle hand stroke my shaven scalp. _"It's ok Alex. She is safe. We will look after her until you are able. Rest now my Hairetzio. You have done well."_

**...**

I wake up lying in a comfortable bed and the sound of hushed voices coming from somewhere past the foot of the bed. I open my eyes and I am greeted with the sight of a darkened bedroom lit by the flames of the fire. I start to roll over and a groan is forced past my lips as my muscles, stiff from being locked ridged for so long while under the cruciatus protest the movement.

"Master Alex." You is waking. Came the voice of the excited Cody. "Thanks you Master Alex for protecting and saving Mistress Imogen again. You is the bestest Master ever." The little elf started sobbing and I slowly reach out a still slightly trembling hand to pat her on the shoulder.

"It's ok Cody. It's my job to look after your family. You and Gordy did an excellent job of protecting Imogen. You did exactly what I ordered you to. You are both a credit to the Potter family." The Head elf blushed so badly I'm surprised she didn't pass out.

I roll out of bed and stumble to my feet. Putting a hand against the wall to steady myself. I look towards the now quiet voices and see Clotho is sitting by the fire conversing with Lord Potter. Lady Potter is absent from the frame I notice. I nod to both of them and make my way to the bath room to take care of my bladder.

Once finished I returned to my room and sunk into the empty seat next to the Fate. "Thank you for coming to my aid My Lady." I formally thank Clotho. "Without your intervention, I would not have been able to carry out my duty to the Potter Family."

"_Nonsense AJ. You did exactly what a Protector is supposed to do. You gave the family a chance to escape while you delayed the threat."_ She paused and I noticed the look she gave the Lord Potter.

"Where is Imogen? How is she?" I asked.

"She is fine lad." Charlus told me. After the Fates banished the intruder, they summoned a Gringotts curse breaker to the manor and they took care of the soul fragment and several other things that were wrong with my granddaughter." He smiled at Clotho.

"Your friends are very handy to have around. I have never seen the Goblins scared before. As for your first question, Imogen is asleep in her room. It is almost midnight and you have been unconscious for over forty eight hours.

Two days? No friggin wonder I feel so stiff. I haven't exercised in days. I need a shower. I am fucking hungry as hell. And on top of that, I can still feel a slight tremor in my muscles every so often.

I turn to Cody. "Could I please have something to eat? I am famished." Cody smiles, bows and pops out. She returns only a few seconds later with another bowl of that awesome tomato soup I had on my first night here, complete with two fresh bread rolls and an icy can of coke. I love this elf. "You are the best Cody." I praise her and she tries again to burn out her blush bulb.

After I had demolished at least a quarter of the soup, and one of the rolls. I wiped my chin with the serviette and turn to Clotho. "Who the hell was that the other night? And more importantly how the fuck did he find her?"

Clotho studied me silently for a minute. _"As for who he was Alex, I unfortunately cannot tell you. This is one of those things that you have to discover for yourself."_ I nod in acceptance. I had expected as much. Hey I'm just glad they got him off me.

"_I can tell you that he is a supporter of Dumbledore. However, he operates from the shadows. He will be difficult for you to find. So I would not waist your energy trying to hunt him down. When the time is right, you shall meet him again."_

She pauses while I take another mouthful of fizzy goodness. _"Your physical wounds are fully healed. Your muscle tremors will completely fade by dawn. Time is the only thing that you can do for exposure to that curse." _

"_Your body armour has been repaired by one of the elves and I think that answered all of your questions that you were planning to ask me tonight."_ She said the last with a smirk in her voice that almost dared me to contradict her.

Challenge accepted.

"I need help with getting Lord James and Lady Lily out of Azkaban. I am sorry Clotho, I have planned and executed dozens of tactical actions in the past, and I am totally lost with this one." I pause when I see the calculating look in her eyes.

"_What exactly do you need AJ. And be specific."_ She ordered.

"I need Team 6."

Clotho looked at me, her expression unreadable. _"Justify."_ Her one word command that could take days to carry out.

I take another mouthful of coke and realise that I had finished the can. Cody pops in with another fresh one and pops out before I can even smile my thanks at her. I shake my head and gather my thoughts. This was something that I had thought long and hard about.

How do you get in and out of the island prison of Azkaban in one piece. The place is a friggin fortress. No one has ever escaped. Ever. I take a deep breath, ignore the slight spasms in my muscles and start to pace the room laying out my plans and reasoning.

The first thing that I have to do is get there. Blind apparating is a bad idea. If you have not been somewhere before or you can't line of sight it you put park your ass into a wall. According to the Fates, this has been done dozens of times.

And before you ask why didn't Imogen's magic just allow her to apparate out of the basement where she had been help prisoner? Simple. Dumbledore and also her magic was struggling to keep her alive. Why do you think that the Fates just didn't drop me down in front of the house when I went to get her? I couldn't, there were friggin wards all over the place that prevented Magical travel. Now how Cody got us out of there? I've got no idea. You will have to ask her.

Can I continue with my story now? Good.

Obviously I can't blind apparate to the Potters. Going in by boat is good, but there is nowhere to land except the dock as the entire island is surrounded by twenty foot high cliffs with nowhere to land a climbing party.

I would bet just about everything, that it had an alarm ward on it so that as soon as you set foot on it, unless you are authorised, you become disabled and contained in some way until someone comes to verify your identify.

I am also going to have a guess that they would have some sort of motion sensor ward placed at different spots all over the island – it's what I would do.

Another option is to break into the ministry DMLE and kidnap and Auror who can make a portkey to the island, but I'm guessing that that is limited to only a handful of people. A less militant approach would be to take my evidence to the DMLE and have them investigate it.

The problem there is that Dumbles most likely has more than one person in his pocket in that office and they would report to him as soon as an inquiry was made. The Potters would be either dead or moved so friggin fast I would even get a chance.

I continue to suggest and discard several plans to her. The first thing I realise is that this can't be a solo mission. I need my team with me. As I turn back up the driveway I am discarded every plan bar two. A covert fast rope or HALO drop. Both have the positives and negatives. The two most problematic ones are that I need an aircraft and someone to operate it.

A HALO insertion is great in that unless the enemy have NVG's and the assault troops keep the noise down, the insertion is silent and undetectable. The difficulty is that you need a different egress plan. HALO jumps are normally from a height of 25-35 thousand feet. I don't have the gear for that with me. It's flattened under that cave in Afghanistan from memory.

A fast rope onto the roof of the prison would be perfect. It allows a force to be inserted extremely quickly. The helicopter can then circle the targe to provide over watch and target suppression. And they are also your egress route. The only problem is small arms fire and SAMS shooting down the fucking chopper.

I really need UNTAC to do this raid. My team consisted of a six man assault force, a UH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter –which had a ten man maintenance team - which was specifically designed for combat search and rescue. Shit it even had low audibility blades or stealth blades fitted – the same ones as the Stealth Hawks that were used by the team that took out Bin Laden back in 2011. The chopper had a crew of four, which consisted of two pilots a Crew Chief and a gunner, 2 door mounted mini guns, it could fly for about 800 kays with the out rigger tanks fitted and its systems were even hardened against an EMP strike so it would work around fucking magic.

There was silence in the room except for the crackling of the fire. I look at my watch and realise that it is once again after 0100 in the am.

"_Keep working on a plan Alex. Get some rest I will see you soon."_ Without another word she just shimmers and disappears.

I couldn't fucking believe it. I had just talked myself hoarse for over an hour and she just leaves me hanging.

Not having any choice, I decide I'm going to take her advice and go back to bed. I say good night to the Lord Potter – Dorea still hasn't returned and stumble to my bed. I am asleep before my head hits the pillow.

I woke up with a weight on my bladder, bright red hair up my nose and a drool patch on my shoulder. I look over to what caused me to wake up and I see Cody with a cup of tea – I can't friggin stand coffee – in her hand.

"Master Alex it is 6am as yous requested to be woke up." She whispered to me in deference to the still sleeping ten year old that was sprawled across my chest with her arms wrapped around my.

I nod my thanks to the little elf and she places the brew on the bed side table then pops out of the room to return to her duties.

I extract myself from Imogen who semi wakes up while I am sliding out from under her. "Go back to sleep little one. I am going for a run."

She mumbles something and then snuggles back down under her dooner. Grabbing my tea I take a sip of the perfectly made brew – I love that little elf. I try to remember where all my clothes are. On a hunch I took a look into the wardrobe and discover that not only had my combat gear been laundered and hung up. There was a ton of new clothes as well. I shake my head in amusement.

"Cody." I called. And almost before the words were out of my mouth the Head Elf appeared beside me.

"Yes Master Alex?"

"Cody not that I am complaining, but where did all of the new clothes come from?" I asked her taking another mouthful of tea.

She gives me a shy smile. "Master Alex, Zoe has volunteered to be your elf. She went took note of the sizes of your clothes and went shopping yesterday while you were talking to Master and Mistress in the painting." She paused and looked at the carpet and twisted the hem of her shirt nervously.

I crouched down in front of her."What's the matter Cody? remember I can't help you if I don't know what the problem is."

"Master Alex, Zoe is Cody and Gordy's offspring. She is only young and you would be her first Master. Would you allow her to serve you and be your personal elf?"

I suppress a smirk. Good to see nepotism is still strong in the old world. Not that I am complaining. If Zoe is anything like her parents she will be brilliant. From what I can gather, Cody's family have served the Potters for generations. Hmm, must clarify that.

"Cody, are you sure that Zoe wants to serve me? Don't your family belong to the Potters?"

She looked up at me with a huge smile on her face. "Yes we is do, Master Alex. Cody heard Mistress Imogen tell Master Alex the other night that she would be keeping you around forever, so you is now considered parts of the Potter family." By this time she had started bouncing in excitement.

"This way, Zoe cans stay here with the Potters, but also serve Master Alex as well."

Well I couldn't argue with that. "Ok Cody. I am going to go for my run, I will call for Zoe when I get back." I stand up and grab my running skins, tank top socks and running shoes from the wardrobe.

"Yes Master Alex, Zoe wills be so happy." With a slightly louder than normal pop she vanished. I guess that emotions can have an effect on your magic. Interesting, something to remember as well.

I get changed, finish my tea and leave the cup on the bed side table to take to the kitchen later. I grab my Glock and place it in its holster that clips into the back of your pants along with two spare mags and walk towards the front doors of the manor.

As soon as I stepped out of the doors, the cold hit my like a punch in the face. My breath immediately started to fog. I decided then and there that I needed a leather jacket. I spent ten minutes stretching and then setting my watch I started to run towards down the driveway.

Once I got to the front gate I turned left and ran along the inside of the wall. From my discussions with the Potters yesterday, I had learnt that from the front door, down the driveway, around the perimeter fence and back up the driveway was exactly 10km – apparently one of the Potters was a landscaping nut and had a thing for mathematics as well.

This was perfect as 10 kays was my normal morning running distance. The house also had a gym as well, which I planned on finding in the next day or so. Lord Potter had assured me that the Elves would replace and or update all of the equipment today. He also informed me that both he and his wife were quite the fitness nuts when they were alive.

One thing I love about running is it gives me time to plan. I started doing this when I first joined the Regiment and it has stuck with me for years. This morning following my orders from Clotho the night before I start to re-plan how to do a solo extraction of the Potters from Azkaban.

This mission is exactly what Team 6 did and I don't have them.

Fuck.

I've got nothing.

Fuck .

I continue to swear to myself as I spend twenty minutes punching out a hundred of each push ups and sit-ups and then do my cool down stretching. I'm still swearing to myself as I walk back into my room – quietly of course. The rug rat is still sleeping in my bed, walk over to the closet and grab my clothes for the day, walk into the bathroom and strip off. I turn on the shower as hot as I can stand it and as fast as the water would flow.

As the pressure from the nozzle threatens to give the shower head death wobbles, I put my hands against the wall and let the water scream down over my head. The just shy of burning hot water relaxes my tense muscles and allows me to try and refocus my brain on the problem at hand, rather than on what I wish I had to work with.

After twenty minutes I decide to give it up as a bad idea. I cannot get passed the requirement for at least a four man team at the minimum. I make a mental note to ask Charlus if he has any usable contacts in the Auror or Hit Wizard office that may be able to help.

Remembering what happened the other day, I had decided to dress appropriately until I can confirm that the wards are back up to strength. I pull on my black combat gear including the repaired body armour. I decide to leave the F88 alone but decide to carry both Glocks.

I put on both of my thigh holsters and jam both pistols into them, securing the thumb break as I did so. I also remind myself that I need to ask Zoe to get me a coat as it is friggin cold in the UK. And I do not have anything to keep me warm. I leave the bathroom and head down to the dining room for breakfast.

On the way down the hall way I call for Zoe and an elf that came up to just below my waist popped into the room, wearing the Potter House Elf uniform. The offspring of Cody and Gordy is practically vibrating with excitement.

With a shock I realise that Zoe is the elf that was in the room with me the other day when everything went to shit.

"Good morning Master Alex, thanks yous for allowing Zoe to serve yous." She said with a deep bow. Her voice while high pitched wasn't as grating as I had feared it would be.

"You are very welcome Zoe." I tell her placing my hand on her head. I could feel the excitement bubbling through her tiny body. "Now before I go down to breakfast I need to thank you for your help with those bad wizards the other day. Are you ok after what happened?" She beamed a massive smile at me and blushed at the same time. It was quite funny site actually.

"Oh yes Master Alex. Zoe be good. Zoe was very scared though when bad man came through the window. But Master Alex made it so he didn't see Zoe and lets her gets away. Master Alex is the best Mater ever." The little Elf was bouncing in excitement as she finished her talk and I realised with disbelief that she managed to say it in one friggin breath. That is impressive.

"Zoe, could I ask you to find me a non-magical black leather jacket. It's to bloody cold outside here. Actually where is here?" I quickly decide to ask my question in case she continues to go on about how great Master Alex is. Honestly guys I'm not that narcissistic.

"Of course Master Alex, Zoe be is getting yous a coat straight away. Potter manor is located in Wales sir. We is near South Stack, the water you cans see out yours windows is Gogarth Bay."

I smile my thanks to the little elf. "Also I would like to say thank you for sorting out my wardrobe yesterday. I do appreciate it. Thank you Zoe, you can go." I tell her. She smiles at me, bows and pops out. I chuckle at my little assistant, and I realise that the apple did not fall very far from the tree. She is exactly like her parents.

**Thanks for reading...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Still not mine...**

**Wow hello and thanks to all my new readers, reviewers and followers. For some reason chapter 5 seemed to bring in a heap of new readers.**

**As per usual, thanks to my first ever reviewer **sfjoellen** for your continued support.**

**And a MASSIVE thanks to **Dreamless-Sleep777 **who was my second ever reviewer and also the person who helps to fill in the plot holes that you could park a friggin Mack truck in. Cheers mate. **

**As always, please review. It helps with the process.**

**Chapter 6**

I enter the family dining room and say good morning to Lord and Lady Potter. I take my seat and as soon as I sit down, Zoe is there with a fresh cup of tea and a plate of bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes and toast. I blink at the amount of food on my plate and make a mental note to visit the kitchen after I finish eating and tell the elves that I normally only have fruit salad and yogurt and occasionally cereal for breakfast.

"Alex I have had time over the last few days to discuss what happened with the Goblin curse breaker that came to the Manor to remove the soul fragment from Imogen. We have discovered with the help of Charles -who is the elf that put Imogen into stasis, that the intruders could gain access through our wards because they did not have any malicious intent to Imogen or the Potter family."

That actually made sense. What Lord Potter said next confirmed my thoughts.

"Their minds were filled with only one thought. Rescue the Potter Heir at all costs. She is in danger." He paused to make sure that I was still following him. I took a sip from my tea and nodded. "The minds of these poor men had been totally reprogrammed with a curse that had not been seen for over a century."

"It is called the Assassins Curse. It was designed to totally destroy everything about a person that is unique and turn them into a mindless servant whose only purpose is to carry out he will of their master. Whatever the caster wanted or desired was all that the victims lived for. They had no more thoughts or feelings."

"They were mainly used as assassins, and the beauty of this curse is that it leaves no magical signature of the person who cast it, so it is totally untraceable. The totally repulsive thing about the curse apart from what they can be used for, is that it is totally irreversible. There is no cure, and the only way to stop them is to kill them."

"Even killing their master will not erase their programming for whatever task they have been set. Once they complete their task, they are either destroyed by their masters or put into stasis until they are needed again."

I nodded in understanding as I finished my breakfast, consolidating everything I knew of this dimension from the books and what I continued to learn every day that was different. One of the elves popped in, retrieved my now empty plate and deposited another full cup of tea in the place of its almost empty predecessor, smiled at me and popped out.

When I joined the Army and went to Iraq for the first time - I was 19 at the time. I was constantly amazed at what I was seeing, and the lengths a person would go to, that would fuck over, fuck up or just plain fucking maim or destroy another human being in the worst possible ways imaginable.

After 15 years of seeing the same shit and so much worse in so many different fucked up countries, I am somewhat amazed that I can still be disgusted at what one person can invent to cause suffering to another. In a way I am actually pretty fucking happy that I can still feel. Working in combat search and rescue we tend to see the absolute worst of the worst.

This is even more so when you are dealing with hostage rescue. After seeing so much shit, you run the very real risk of becoming an absolute basket case and no longer be able to function. The fact that I could still feel, proved to me that I had yet to cross that line.

Another thing to add to the list. I need to get hold of a GP and get a referral to a councillor. No, not to discuss magic, just so that I can unload about the stress of combat. I can honestly tell the story of a recently discharged vet who needs someone to talk to about what I have seen. Trust me, talking to professionals about this shit actually helps.

That idea now gets underlined in red.

I shake myself out of my thoughts and once again turn my attention to Lord Potter, apologising for drifting off into my old memories. He waves my apology away, it was not even worth disusing and with a growing smirk he went on to tell me how he, his wife and Cody managed to blackmail the Goblins to send a curse breaker to remove the soul fragment from Imogen.

Apparently, even though the Potters do not hold alot of gold in Gringotts, they do own a massive portion of shares in Wizarding businesses as well as the fact that they are one of the oldest families in the Wizarding world. It seems that the Potters have their fingers in just about every pie.

After I had passed out from the cruciatus Lord Potter had sent Cody with a letter that he had dictated the little elf to write to the head curse breaker of Gringotts, asking for their assistance with a matter of grave importance and offering to pay handsomely for the service. Lord Potter received a reply that basically said sod off, your dead.

Charlus then had Cody deliver a small empty portrait to the curse breakers main office in Gringotts in which he proceeded to inform the curse breakers sitting at their desks that while he may be dead, there were several vials of his blood in stasis in Potter manor that could be used by his Head Elf to sign the papers that would divest the Potter holdings of the entirety of their magical shares and call forth all of the outstanding loans from the Potter Trust.

Apparently if this happened, it would basically bankrupt magical Britain – and possibly Magical Spain as well - within forty eight hours. Needless to say, the Gringotts curse breakers fell all over themselves sending a team of three of their best and most experienced goblins to Potter Manor and once they completed a scan of Imogen and realised what they were dealing with, they had summoned a pig and forced the soul fragment out of her head and into the beast.

According to the Goblins, to transfer a Horcrux from one item to another, it had be like with like. For example. Living tissue to living tissue. Inanimate to inanimate.

And no for those of the class that are keeping up, conjuration and transfiguration does not work. It has to be living.

Make sense now hmmm?

A benefit of the soul fragment being destroyed meant that the scar on her forehead was also destroyed. I was overjoyed at this news. Mainly because it meant that the primary way people in the Wizarding world used to identify the 'Girl Who Lived' no longer exists.

There is also the fact that while chicks may dig scars on a guy, they friggin hate them on themselves.

So there is one potential crisis averted there when puberty strikes. Oh shit, why did I have to remind myself of that? Brain bleach someone please.

God I hope that I can rescue her parents, if for no other friggin reason than getting out of the birds and the bees talk.

Deep breaths, in, out. Repeat till pulse rate has settled.

Ok sorry, freak out over...

The beast was then taken straight to the smelting pits of Gringotts and after the senior curse breaker had cleared the smelting room of all personnel with the exception of his team and the Chief of Gringotts. They cast the pig into the furnace. The head curse breaker was then sent back to Potter Manor to give Gringotts assurances that if the Potters find the location of any more of the evil things, they are to be called at once and they will dispose of them.

According to Lord Potter, approximately eight hundred years ago, a Goblin Chief had killed the Heir to the Egyptian magical throne in battle. His opponent had made a Horcrux and had rebirthed himself and then killed the Goblin Chief and his entire family while they slept. Since that time, the Goblins have had an absolute hatred of Horcrux's.

It is an instant death sentence for any Goblin to found in possession of or passing on information on how to create the things. Any human who is found to have made one would be instantly bared from Gringotts and their family bared for ten generations. If after they were bared, they entered any Goblin territory, their life was forfeit.

There was the sound of running footsteps and the door at the end of the table burst open and a flying red head raced around the table and launched herself at me.

"Alex I was so worried about you." Imogen sobbed into my neck telling me that next time I had to run away with her. I gently rubbed her back and whispered into her ear that I was fine and that everything was ok."

She got herself back together and turned around on my lap and proceeded to eat the breakfast that had been delivered for her. I just raised my eyebrows at Charlus and Dorea who both smirked at me. I just shrugged my shoulders and we went turned our conversation towards the coming move to Bora-Bora.

After Imogen had finished demolishing her breakfast I tell her to go and get ready for a day out and that we are going to go to London to do some looking around. She lets out a girly shriek and bolts from the room, red hair trailing along behind her.

Once we are alone again, Charlus calls for Cody and after the Head elf appears he instructs her for several minutes on how to replicate the charm that Dumbles had placed on her all those years ago, but he also taught her how to modify the charm so that any Potter elf and myself could find her where ever she might be.

Once she had nodded that she understood what was being asked of her, she popped away to assist her Mistress with getting ready for her first ever day in London, with the instruction to bring Imogen to the Masters Study when she was finished.

After Cody had left, Charlus instructs me to follow him to the Masters Study. I enter the room that I first met Lord and Lady Potter and I was told to go to the bottom draw on the left of the desk. In the bottom of the draw was a box that almost filled available space. Once I lifted it out he told me to put it on the desk and leave it as only Imogen could currently open the box. When I asked him what was inside, he just smiled at me and told me to be patient.

Ten or so minutes later, Cody popped into the room with Imogen holding onto her hand. the little ten year old let go of her elf and came over to the desk when told to by her grandfather.

Charlus told her that she had to kiss the Potter coat of arms in the centre of the lid and think of the potter motto as she did. I looked at the portrait with a funny look on my face and he explained that

"While the Goblins and most of Wizarding Britton are still heathens when it comes to blood rituals, this however is a family chest. What does a normal family do Alex to show their love for one another?"

I nodded my head at the rhetorical question, but he answered it anyway and I looked over to Imogen to see that she had a questioning look on her face.

"They kiss each other my dear." He smiled to take any potential hurt out of the words. "trust me child, both your mother, father, grandmother and myself used to kiss you all the time. You were and still are the light of our world, and you will not understand until you have you own children how much you are truly loved."

Imogen now had tears in her eyes and was wearing a smile that threatened to split her face. Without waiting any longer, she bent and placed a kiss on the coat of arms and stood back. Nothing happened for a few seconds, and then the coat of arms seemed to come to life. The purple of the background lit up and the lion roared and ran around the lid of the box before coming to rest where he previously stood.

There was a click and the lid slowly opened to reveal dozens of rings laid in seven circles inside each other. These were all cantered on a large ring in the exact centre of the box. I would put money on it that this was the Potter Signet ring.

"Now my dear, you cannot take the Potter ring until your eleventh birthday, however, I want you to pick a ring from the third row from the centre. They are paired one male ring, one female ring."

Imogen nodded her head showing that she understood her Grandfather. As she looked at the circle of rings, Charlus continued.

"The rings that you are looking at are the Heir rings. When an Heir to an ancient and noble house is born, they are given a bracelet to wear showing their status. When the child turns five, they remove the bracelet and are told to choose a ring from the ones you are looking at now. And n before you ask Alex, I have no idea what happened to Imogen's bracelet."

He broke off his explanation, as with a gasp, Imogen had held out her hand to reach for a ring, when the ring she had chosen left its place in the box and gently floated to her hand. with no hesitation, the young Heiress, placed the ring onto her right ring finger and was immediately surrounded by a purple glow that encompassed her entire body.

I stood still watching in awe as Imogen continued to glow for another minute. When the light show stopped she turned to her Grandfather and I in amazement.

"It talked to me." she exclaimed. "The ring is called Bethany, after the first Potter Heir who wore it in thirteen forty five." She was almost gushing. "She told me that she will be able to protect my mind from mental attacks and my body from minor attacks."

Needless to say I was happy with that bit of information.

"She is also excited as she had only ever been worn by her original owner as she was created for Bethany Potter because none of the rings that were in the box at the time suited her so Bethany was made for her."

"After Bethany Potter died in fourteen sixteen, she was placed into this box and has not been out since. She is also excited because she will once again be mated with the main signet ring when I turn eleven and she will get to speak to her first Mistress again."

I looked at Charlus with the obvious question on my face.

"This is a Potter Family Secret Alex." He told me sternly.

I didn't say anything, I just waited. It might seem a bit petulant, but I was getting a bit tired of the implication that I would tell tails out of class. When I got him alone again, the former Lord Potter and I were going to be having a discussion.

As the silence drew out with neither of us saying anything, just looking at each other, Imogen realised that something was wrong.

"Alex?" she asked timidly.

"I am waiting for Alexander to acknowledge that what we have just shared with him is a Potter Family Secret and he is not allowed to tell anyone about it." Charlus informed his Granddaughter haughtily.

Hmm, maybe we will be having that discussion right about now. I continued to look straight at the portrait not saying a word.

"Well?" The Painting asked.

"Well what?" I said straight back to him.

"Are you going to acknowledge my order?"

With that I turned to Imogen. "I'll be in the kitchen little one. Come and get me when you are ready to go. I've got to tell the elves to stop over feeding me at breakfast time."

With that I turned and left the study ignoring the demands that the former Lord Potter made trying to summon me back to face him.

Just as I left the study I felt a surge of power behind me and I fought the urge to hide around the corner and listen in. The surge I felt was at least one of the Fates appearing in the study and if I was correct, Lord Potter was about to get his ass whooped. I smiled to myself and kept walking.

About twenty minutes later Imogen entered the room, to find me chatting with Ziggy, Tiggy and Diggy, who were respectively the Head Chef, the Sous Chef and the desert chef of the Potter family. The three elves were ecstatic to meet the 'Great Master' who had saved their Mistress. The three elves were not ecstatic to find out that I only wanted fruit salad with yogurt and cereal for breakfast.

But we eventually reached a compromise. They would serve me my requested breakfast on Monday to Saturday, but on Sunday, because I took that day off my training to give my body a break, I had to have a fry up for breakfast. Though they did agree to make it a smaller serving than what they had been.

Once Imogen entered the kitchen the three elves rushed over to greet their Mistress and asked if there was anything she needed. They seemed to deflate when she told them that she was just here to pick up her stray body guard as I had promised to take her shopping.

With that she bit the elves goodbye, grabbed my hand and proceeded to drag me out of the kitchen and into the entrance hall, where Zoe was waiting for me with my new over coat.

"Master Alex I is getting you a coat like you is asking for." She exclaimed, bouncing on her toes. I took the coat from her and held it up by the shoulders. It unrolled and I was surprised when instead of stopping at my waist like I had assumed it would, it almost reached the floor.

Grinning to myself – I had always wanted a full length leather coat – I swung it over my shoulders and thrust arms through the holes. Yep I was right, it was exactly what I had always wanted.

Black.

Leather.

Reaching to the tops of my combat boots.

Looking bad ass.

I unclipped my thigh holsters and looked at Zoe. I opened my mouth and was about to ask her to get my belt holsters, when the little elf disappeared and reappeared not more than ten seconds later with the items I was going to ask for.

"Thanks Zoe, you are the best." The little elf was practically vibrating with happiness. One thing I did remember from the books was that elves both lived and loved to serve their Masters and Mistresses. To be given praise for a job well done was often enough to bring an elf to tears of happiness because they had pleased their masters.

Conversely, elves who had been given clothes, the stress of being thrown out of the family often shocked them enough that it was fatal. This was because that by being given clothes they were forbidden to fulfil their greatest wish. And that was simply to make their families happy.

I shake myself from these maudlin thoughts. There was no way in hell the Potter family would ever treat their elves in such a horrible way. If they did, I would be having words with whoever did.

I swapped my magazines and pistols to my clip on holsters and secured them to the belt in the small of my back.

I handed over my thigh holsters to my little assistant and thanked her again. She smiled at me and popped out. I turned to Imogen.

"Ready to go have a great day getting lost in London?" I asked her.

She grinned at me and called for Cody. Her elf appeared beside her with a pop and a now familiar ring box in her arms. She leant down and kissed the coat of arms on the lid and once again the box popped open.

"After you left, Clotho appeared and really yelled at Granddad for treating you the way he was." She told me with a giggle. "He looked so embarrassed. She told him to get his head out of his ass and that you were sent to this dimension to protect me and that you would die before you ever betrayed me." Her voice hitched a bit at this and she looked down at her shoes, and I immediately knelt down in front of her and put my hands on her shoulder.

"Hey, I'm right here remember." I told her gently. "Remember what you told me the other night in our room?" she raised her face to look at me. "You told me that you were going to keep me around until you were old and grey. So how could I die and not stick around for my favourite girl?" I was immediately given another crushing hug that was laced with some sobbing and I remembered that this child had never been shown an ounce of affection.

Dick head.

Of course her emotions were going to be all over the place where I was concerned. I was her knight in black body armour. I saved her from her uncle's house. Of course she was going to be worried that I would leave her.

Dick head.

"Ok." I said to her once the sobbing had stopped and I had given her another hankie from my pocket. After she had dried her eyes and blown her nose, Zoe popped back into the foyer with a fresh hankie for me, took the used one from her Mistress and popped out without a word being spoken.

"Thanks Zoe." I said to the empty space my elf had just disappeared from. I had a feeling that she would hear me regardless of where I was. "Ok." I repeated. "What is with the ring box? I thought you had already been chosen by Bethany."

She immediately became a bouncing ten year old and she clapped her hands excitedly. "After Lady Clotho finished tearing into Grand dad she turned to me and I think that her and Bethany had a conversation because she heated up on my finger and then she told me to get Cody and take the ring box to you."

She paused and looked down at her hand for a second with a confused look on her face.

"Are you sure that will work Beth?" she asked while she stroked her ring with her thumb. "Umm ok." She looked back at me. "Beth wants you to put your right ring finger on her." She told me while holding out the finger with her ring on it.

I don't hesitate. Once thing had been made clear to me during the time that I read the books, watched the movies and now am living the life. You don't fuck with magic. It is sentient. It has its own laws and it has been around for a lot longer than we have. If it wants me to touch a ring with my right finger, that is exactly what I am going to do.

So that is exactly what I did. A second or so after my finger made contact with the ring, it warmed up slightly and I heard a new voice in my head.

"Greetings Alex." The voice was musical and light. And it seemed to be coming from a certain point in my mind. I focused on that spot and suddenly a lady that looked about my new age appeared in front of me. She had jet black hair that was tied in a curling braid that reached half way down her back. And she had blue eyes that seemed to miss absolutely nothing.

I mentally bowed to her. "Lady Bethany. You wanted to talk to me?" she waved off my formal language.

'None of that Alex. You saved the Potter Heir. For that I and all of the family thanks you for it." She must have seen the confusion on my face. "Each of the rings in the box are sentient. We remember the lives that we have lived while on the fingers of our chosen Heirs. There is a ring in this box that has been worn by every Potter from the time the family first existed."

"These rings when not in use, have nothing to do, so in a similar manor to the portraits we can converse with each other." I nod my understanding to her. And she continues. "Under the top layer of rings is another six layers. The first six layers are for the Heirs. The seventh layer is similar in design to the top layer. It has several rows of rings surrounding a main centre ring. It is the ring of the Protector of house Potter."

"The Protector is a title, a calling, a job, a dedication. Call it what you will. The Fates have sent you here to this dimension to protect the last scion of the Potter's and so far you have performed this duty with distinction. You have several tasks before you not the least of these is to rescue the current Lord and Lady Potter from their captivity."

"I am working on it Beth." I tell the image in front of me. "But I have hit a wall so to speak. I have got no idea on how to conduct a solo rescue on Azkaban. I need help to complete the mission."

"My time is up." She said to me. "When we have finished, pick up the Protectors ring and place it on the same finger that is holding our connection open. It will also speak to you. It may be able to give you assistance to secure the release of Lord and Lady Potter." She started to fade. "Keep working on Clotho about getting your team back. You have almost convinced her." She gave me an impish smile and vanished.

I opened my eyes and took my finger of Imogen's ring. I smile at the ten year old. "Thank Beth for me little one." Imogen gave me a smile and nodded her head. She looked at the ring on her finger and smiled.

"She said you're welcome." Imogen turned to Cody and waved her hand over the open box. Obediently, the top six layers of ring floated up and hovered about six inches above the box. As soon as they stopped moving, a large ring floated itself out of the box and landed in my open palm.

As I pick up the ring to examine it, I absently notice that the trays with the Heir rings have descended back into the ring box and the lid closed itself with a snap. I looked at the Protectors ring and noticed straight away that the coat of arms was slightly different. On the Heir rings, the Lion was facing from right to left, with his tail pointing towards the wearers' pinkie.

On the ring that I was holding, the lion was crouched down on his front paws facing towards you with his mane sticking out from his body, tail standing straight up and his mouth open in a silent roar. This lion was telling you in no uncertain terms to back off. Back off or I will attack you.

Wondering if my ring would talk to me the same as Imogen's Bethany, I placed the ring onto my right hand ring finger. And waited.

After almost ten seconds I suddenly felt an extremely powerful foreign presence in my head. I instinctively closed my eyes and focused on the same spot in my mind that I had spoken to Bethany in. As I entered that part of my mind I saw that there was already a figure waiting for me.

An extremely attractive female figure to be precise. She had almost paper white blonde hair that fell in thick slightly wavy lines to the middle of her back. Her skin was almost as pale as her hair and she had eyes that were an incredible shade of deep purple. I had never seen eyes like that before. They mesmerised me for a few seconds until I mentally kicked myself.

She was clothed in figure hugging black leather that showcased her slim hips, small bust and a rippling six pack was visible under her top, which showed just how much physical exercise this person had undergone to have a body that was this fit.

On her back there were two hilts that crossed over her shoulders, and she had an assortment of knives strapped to various places on her body. Including I noticed, one tucked into the tops of the knee high boots she was wearing.

This appraisal took only seconds and the entire time, I had the impression that she was doing exactly the same to me. She nodded seemingly to herself once and it appeared that I had passed her test – whatever it was. She crossed the intervening space between us and held out her hand to me.

"Greetings Commander." Her voice was incredible. It was as light as a summer breeze, but laced with strength and power. Overall the presence that this person exuded commanded instant respect and obedience. It was the presence of a person that expected obedience. There was never a question that you would disobey.

She had my instant respect.

"My name is Samantha. I was the first Protector of House Potter." I took her hand in mine and I placed a chaste kiss on the back of her hand.

"Pleased to meet you Lady Samantha." I bowed to her.

"Please Alex, there will be no bowing and scraping between us. "We are equals in the service of House Potter." I nodded my head in agreement. She gracefully sat on the ground and motioned me to join her.

I tried to think how I would explain this to someone. Sitting on the 'ground' in my mind, while having a conversation with a beautiful woman who had been dead for millennia.

Hmmm fail. No one would friggin believe me. So the solution was rather easy. Don't friggin tell anyone.

Samantha smirked at me and I had the feeling that she knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Not totally Alex, however, going off your facial expressions, I have a pretty good idea." The smirk became a musical laugh. And I noticed for the first time the elongated canine teeth and I had to thank god for having to work with people from just about every corner of the globe. I am unable to judge a person on their race or skin colour. Or in this case, the fact that I seemed to be sharing my head with a friggin vampire.

Nope, not even gunna bother trying to explain this. Not at all.

After she got herself under control, she told me that yes she was a Vampire and her clan were day walkers. She explained that while we are in London today, she will try not to talk to me at all, but when I went to bed tonight, we would be able to have a more in depth conversation. She was similar to Beth in that it had been at least five hundred years since the Potters had had a Protector, so she was looking forward to seeing what had changed in the last half century.

She told me that as long as I wore the Protector ring, she would be with me in my head. She was also able to protect my mind from any Legilimency attacks, and she could act as a type of sixth sense to warn of approaching danger. Nice.

I open my eyes to discover that Imogen was watching me with a smile on her face. I wordlessly extend my right to her with my ring finger extended and she touches both of our rings together.

All of a sudden, I am back inside my head, this time I am face to face with both Beth and Samantha. Beth who does not look to happy, and Sam with a hint of amusement on her pale face. I feel a new presence beside me and turn towards them to discover a surprised Imogen.

"Wow that was so cool Alex, did you know that would happen?' she asked me in excitement.

"Imogen Lily Potter, what possessed you to merge the rings?" Beth scolded her Head of House. I turned back to Imogen as the harsh words seemed to hit her like a strike from a fist. I pulled my principal into a hug and turned to face Beth.

"Enough." I growled and both Beth and Samantha took an involuntary step back. "Stand still and keep your mouths shut. I will speak to you both in a minute." They both nod their heads. I turn my attention to the shaking ten year old in my arms.

"Hey little one, I'm here. Remember nothing is going to hurt you while I'm with you. Ok?" I rub her back and continue to whisper comforting words into her ear as I held her. After five or so minutes, she starts to calm down and she pulls away from me, but still keeps hold of my hand.

"Lady Potter I sincerely apologise for my outburst." Bethany bows low to her Heir. "What you and you Protector have done has never happened before. And it scared me."

"And what exactly has happened Bethany?" I ask her coldly. She was supposed to protect Imogen, not upset her. I was friggin furious with the spirit in front of me. "Might I suggest that we start there?"

The spirit of Imogen's ring blushed slightly and bowed her head in my direction, acknowledging my rebuke of her behaviour. She then turned to Imogen and began her explanation.

"Imogen, when you put my ring on this morning, it created a mental bond between both of us. With that bond, I can give you advice on being Lady Potter, protect your mind from outside influences and also allow you to access the collective minds and memories of the entire Potter Line who has worn one of the rings that are in that box."

"When Alex put on his Protectors ring, it created a similar bond between Samantha here and Alex. While you can access all of the Potter memories, Alex can access all of the Protectors memories including battle strategies and how to fight hand to hand. Most importantly, he can now access and command the combat ward controls for all of the Potter properties." She paused and looked at the two of us.

"Because you touched the rings together, you have done something that has never been done before. Alex now has the ability to access the same knowledge as what you have access to through me and you have access to the same combat knowledge as what he does through Samantha."

"There is also the possibility that you will now be able to talk to each other through the rings as well as visit each other when you are asleep."

Imogen got a massive smile on her face at that last bit of information. "That will be great." She clapped her hands and started to bounce on her toes. "That means that when I have a nightmare, Alex can come into my dream and rescue Me." she turned to me and continued before Beth could continue. "Now you really are my Protector Alex." She gave me another massive hug. Then pulled back.

"Oh come on, we have to go shopping." Saying that, she disappeared from my mind. I looked to both a now bemused Beth and Samantha.

"I guess we should go." Saying that I opened my eyes and blinked at the seeming harshness of the lights around the entry foyer. There was a pop beside me and Cody appeared. I glanced at my watch and realised that only minutes had passed since I put my ring on.

Imogen reaches out and takes both my hand and Cody's and tells her that we are ready to go, and asks that she takes us to the Leaky Cauldron so we can get to London.

"Of course Mistress, Cody be's happy to." She takes out a bundle of notes and hands them to me. "This is a thousand pounds of muggle money for today Master Alex." She informs me. I nod and quickly place the wad of cash into my wallet and make sure the button on my back pocket is done up. Once that was done, I nodded to Cody, took a tight grip on Imogen's hand and we vanished from Potter manor with a pop.

**Thanks for reading...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Still not mine...**

**Hello and thanks to all my new readers, reviewers and followers. **

**MASSIVE thanks to **Dreamless-Sleep777 **who is the person who helps to fill in the plot holes that you could park a friggin Mack truck in. Cheers mate. **

**As always, please review. It helps with the process.**

**I friggin hate this chapter.**

**Chapter 7...**

As we popped back into existence in what I guessed was the Leakey Cauldron I let go of Cody's hand and looked around. I wasn't very impressed. It was dingy and it had a smell of old beer, vomit and unwashed Men.

I shuddered at a memory.

Ewww.

I turned to Cody as she wished us to have a good day and to call her when we were ready to go home. She bowed and popped back to the Manor. While this was happening I was not even aware that I was still grasping tightly at the other hand that I held. I looked up at the man standing protectively above me.

When I was allowed to go to school, my only refuge at recess and lunch from my cousin and his gang off bullies was the school library. I had fallen in love with stories of gallant knights rescuing fair maidens from dragons and evil lords who wanted to rule the kingdom.

Hey, I'm Ten remember...

I would hide myself away every chance I got and read and re-read those books. While I was reading them, I pretended that I was the damsel and I was getting rescued. Only I was getting rescued from Their House. As the years went on I began to believe that there were no knights in shining armour coming to rescue me.

Then Alex came. He saved me from Them. To me he is my knight in shining armour...

Well ok. My knight in black body armour made out of Kevlar, but you get my point. He rescued me, and I know that as long as I am around him, nothing bad will ever happen to me.

I was dragged out of my day dreaming when I noticed the silence that had descended on the room we were standing in. I pushed myself even closer to Alex and I fearfully looked around at the customers in the bar. I was scared that someone would recognise me and Dumbles would find out.

Beth was whispering in my head that it was ok and that no one had even seen me.

I was confused by that statement and I actually looked at the people standing in the bar. What I saw made me almost giggle in relief.

Beth was right. No one was paying me any attention. Every single person was staring at my body guard. Now that I was paying attention to my surroundings, I could understand why there were a few looks of fear on some of the faces.

It was simple really.

Alex looked scary.

Ok, to give you an idea. Picture a guy dressed all in black who is just over 6 foot tall and is all muscle, who is hiding his eyes behind a pair of really cool looking Oakley's that have bright blue lens. His left hand is under his coat and behind his back and I realise that he has his hand either on or close to one of his guns.

Now you can see why no one paid any attention to the little midget standing beside him.

After a few seconds, Alex seems to realise that these people are not a threat as he removes his left hand from his coat and starts to gently guide me towards the exit that leads towards London.

I smiled to myself as I let myself be led out into the bright day outside.

My Knight.

###

As we left the pub and the weirdly dressed wizards and witches we turned right and started to walk towards London.

"What do you want to do today Little One?" Alex asked me as we slowly walked along the road.

"I'm not sure." I replied with a shrug looking up at him. I noticed that his head was constantly turning, and I realised that he was looking for danger as we walked along.

I got a warm fuzzy feeling at that realisation. Alex will always look after me.

"_Of course he will Immie."_ Beth's voice echoed inside my head. _"He is the Protector of the House Potter."_

I blushed at the mild rebuke in Beth's voice and thought about what I had seen in books and on posters about London while I had been in school.

"I would like to go on the Eye and ummm. Can we go to Buckingham Palace, and umm that place with the wax people?"

Alex laughed, and I again got that warm fuzzy feeling in my chest. I made my first friend laugh, and it wasn't the cruel laugh of my Cousin and his friends as they teased me. It was a genuine laugh.

"Don't you mean Madame Tussauds?" he asked me.

"Yup that's the place." I replied.

"I think we need to need to go to a tourist information booth" he told me.

I nodded my acceptance and skipped ahead of him – though not that far ahead- happily enjoying the fact that this was my first trip anywhere and that I was with my first friend and it was a really nice day and I was just so excited and I didn't ever have to see Them again, and I had a friend.

"_Wow."_ Beth's amused voice sounded in my head startling me. _"Its a good thing that you don't need to breath while you are thinking."_ She told me. _"Otherwise you may have passed out from lack of oxygen during that little revelation."_

I mentally poked my tongue out at my ring?

Mental protector?

Relative?

"_How about family?"_ Beth suggested. I thought about it and mentally nodded.

"Yep, that could work." I responded. I her nod inside my head.

"_Good, ill be quiet now. Enjoy your day with Alex."_ With that she faded from my conscious and I resumed my skipping and looking into all of the shop windows that we passed.

I stopped skipping when I came to an intersection and looked up at Nelsons Column. The other reason that I stopped was seeing all of the people standing around and taking photos. I took a quick look behind me and saw that Alex was only a few meters behind me. I stepped towards him and latched onto his arm and he immediately pulled me against him.

"It's ok Little One." He told me softly. "Do you want to go around or do you want to have a look at Nelson's Column?"

I was tempted to go around and stay away from all the people, but as I was about to request it. I stopped and thought about it. I wanted to be brave for Alex. I turned towards the centre of the square, took a deep breath and started moving towards the column.

I still had a death grip on his hand though...

We didn't actually stop at the column, rather just walked straight past it. I did give it a quick look but I was more looking forward to just getting through the square without freaking out. After what seemed like hours, we made it past Nelson and through the square. We crossed the road and started walking down the Mall towards the Palace.

###

Alex had forgotten that because it was only June, the Palace was not open for visitors yet. That's ok. There was a guy selling disposable cameras near the gates, so Alex let me buy one of them and I took a few photos of me and him with the guards. I think I sort of embarrassed the guard a little bit because I asked Alex how come his uniform was so different to his?

He just smiled and with a nod to the guard – who didn't even move – explained that I had only seen his 'working rig'- he even used the finger things to show me, and that his ceremonial uniform was different to his normal one. The same as this soldiers working uniform was different to this one.

I said sorry to the guard, who winked at me before he resumed his position of not moving at all. How can they do that?

Alex said it was training. And he wasn't even supposed to wink at me. I had taken a few pictures of the Palace – Alex asked a stranger to take one of him and me. Yay my first photo with my first friend.

We stopped for lunch at a cafe and Alex let me order a hamburger and chips with a chocolate milkshake. I had never had a burger or milkshake before. They tasted so good. When I told Alex that this was the first time I had had these things, his face went blank and cold for a few seconds before he smiled at me and told me that with him here, I would be doing alot of first things. I was so happy.

After lunch, we went on the eye. I used up almost all of the film in the camera taking pictures of the different things I could see from so high up. It was like flying. While I was taking photos of everything that caught my attention, I was busy pointing out to Alex all of the things that I could see that I wanted to go and visit.

Alex smiled at me and said that although we wouldn't get to see everything today, we could come back at another time and look at some different things.

I smiled at him and gave him a massive hug. I like hugging Alex. I feel so protected. Oh yeah, his muscles are sooooo hard.

I hope he doesn't read this.

After the eye the weather started to change. Really black rain clouds had started to form. Alex looked at me and asked if I wanted to head home or did I want to see a movie?

Der. Movie of course.

He got us a taxi – he can whistle really loud as well – and we went to the Prince Charles Cinema. I asked him what was good as he had obviously seen most of these before. He said I would probably like Rocketeer, so I nodded and he bought the tickets and we went up to the shop and Alex bought me popcorn and a coke. Both of these I had never had before. Alex got the same as me and we went in found our seats.

It was awesome !

The sounds, the size of the screen, the popcorn. Wow. We are so going back there.

After the movie I was pretty tired so I asked Alex if we could go home. He nodded and we waited until there was no one left in the cinema and I called for Cody.

With an almost silent pop my friend appeared in front of me. She took mine and Alex's hand and we disappeared from London to appear again in the entry foyer of Potter Manor.

I gave Alex a kiss for taking me out today. He smiled and told me to go and have a bath and put my PJ's on and then to come down for dinner. I ran up to my room with Cody following me. As soon as I got into my room, I jumped onto the bed and told Cody all about my day.

She smiled at me and told me that she was happy I enjoyed myself, but I had better have my bath or I will be late for dinner. I jumped off the bed, pulled my clothes off and ran into the bathroom.

###

After Imogen had disappeared up the stairs I removed my coat and gave both it and the remaining money from the day to Zoe who had popped in just as we arrived.

"Master Alex, Lord Potter is in the study." I smiled my thanks at her and she disappeared with my coat.

I headed towards the study not really looking forward to talking with the portrait after this morning. I entered the study and nodded to the portrait of the last Lord of the House.

"Alex." He gained my attention. "I wish to apologise for my behaviour this morning. It was boorish, and beneath me. You have done everything possible to protect my family since you arrived here and I treated you like a potential thief."

"Apology accepted Lord Potter." I bowed to the portrait, and Charlus relaxed and sat back on his seat.

"So how was your day out with my Granddaughter?" Lady Potter asked me sitting forward in her chair.

I gave them a brief rundown and told them that they would have to wait to ask Imogen as I wanted to let her tell of her first day out. "There were no security issues." I finished and turned to the desk.

Once I was seated, I pulled out several sheets of paper and a pen from the top draw and I continued outlining my plan to free James and Lily from Azkaban.

"_There is a Protectors office here in the Manor."_ Sam's voice echoed in my head. I stopped working and paid attention the voice in my head.

Does that sound as weird to you as it does to me?

"_It is located just off the entry foyer on the left hand side of the main doors."_ She told me_. "It was put in that location as everyone who enters the Manor has to pass you office to get anywhere else in the house._" Saying that she went silent again and I refocused my attention on the real world.

I stood up and told the Potters what Sam had just told me. Dorea waved me off and told me to go explore, so I headed towards the entry foyer. I found a door exactly where Samantha said it would be. I pushed open the door and stepped into a fairly large office which had a large bookshelf on the inner wall and a large window that looked out onto the drive way on the wall opposite.

There was a large desk set close to the centre of the room facing the door. Off to my right there was another door and I poked my head in to discover that there was a small bathroom there. I went and had a quick look at the titles on the shelves and noticed that the majority of them were on combat and duelling techniques. There were also a few thrown in on basic potion making.

On the top shelf there were a set of books that were simply numbered 1 through to 47. Curiously I pulled the book marked 1 off the shelf and opened it to the first page. It took me a few seconds to decipher the calligraphy on the page. But once I had I realised that it was journal of Samantha and her time as the Protector of the House.

I queried my mental passenger about this.

"_Yes it is."_ She replied. _"The journals were filled out at the end of every day. These were put here to assist future Protectors in their duty to defend the Potter line. You will be expected to start your own journal as well."_

I mentally nod my head at Sam's instructions and continue to try and plan the rescue of the Potters from Azkaban. I keep coming back to the fact that I need team 4 and a helo insertion to guarantee – as much as you can guarantee anything in a combat op – safe return to the Manor.

I hear a thunder of footsteps on the stairs and realise that it must be dinner time and that Imogen is coming down to eat. I leave my plans on my desk and head towards the dining room.

When I enter Imogen is already seated and is busy telling her grandparents about her day in London. I smile at my principal's enthusiasm and I dish up some Sheppard's pie and vegies onto my plate and dig in.

When there was a break in the conversation, I ask Lord Potter about powering up the wards and he informs me that that has already been taken care of while I was unconscious from the attack the other day. He went on to say that the wards were almost at full strength and if we could hold off on heading to the Island for another week, the wards would be at full strength.

I nodded and took my little green brain out of my pocket and put a line through the note on the wards. I called Cody into the room and when she appeared, I informed the little elf of the change in plans. She just smiled, and explained that the bungalow was ready now and popped out of the room.

I told Imogen that I had discovered the Protectors office and that from now on that is where I would be working from now on. I also told Imogen that tomorrow I would be working most of the day and when her face fell, I told her that I wanted to work one day on and one day off. This meant that we would go somewhere the day after. Her face let lit up at that and she happily agreed to the plan.

I also added a note about getting Imogen re-enrolled into a school. The Dursleys had pulled her out of her school after five years so she had missed the last two. I'll worry about taht after I get her parents.

After dinner I left the Potters to their conversation and headed back to my office and continued going over my notes on Azkaban. It was friggin hopeless. When I was just about to launch my notepad through the open door, there was a small pop and Zoe appeared in front of me with a mug of tea and a small piece of apple pie – thank god they remembered my orders on serving sizes.

"Supper Master Alex." She piped in her high pitched voice.

I pushed myself back from my desk and thanked the little elf. After depositing my food on the corner of my desk she bowed and popped out. I leaned back in my chair and put my feet up on the desk and took a bite of the pie.

While I ate, I looked out of my window and over the front grounds and tried to clear my head. I gave this up as a lost cause after ten minutes. I swore to myself – for a change – and took a mouthful of tea and dragged my notes in front of me again.

"_You need our intervention Alex?"_ the soft voice of Clotho echoed around the room. With a shimmer of displaced air, the leader of the Fates appeared before me seated in one of the chairs in front of my desk.

"I do." I responded waving my hand at the pages of notes. I was not even surprised that she came without me even calling for her. "I have gone over this mission dozens of times both in my head and on paper and I cannot see a way to do it by myself. I have checked with Lord Potter and he does not have the contacts anymore to be able to assist in this."

"I am also not known to UNTAC in this world so I cannot ask for assistance. The elves also cannot help me as there are wards around the island that will only allow elves that are bonded to the island entry to the fortress."

I slumped back in my chair and threw my hands up in frustration.

"It is a six hundred mile round trip." I told her. "It's too far for a broom. Portkey's are useless as there are anti port key and apparition wards there. The form of travelling that you have given me will break through the wads but because I have not seen Azkaban before, I cannot safely apparate there."

I slump back in my seat again. I am not used to failing an assignment.

This might be ego talking – well ok it probably is.

But my team and I used to pride ourselves on accomplishing the impossible missions. By the same token, if I said I needed access to a resource to assist my team and I, it was given to me.

There was a light tap on the door. "Good night Alex." Imogen came into the office "My Lady." She bowed to Clotho who smiled and nodded at the ten year old. She walked round to my side of the desk and gave me a kiss on the cheek and a hug. "Thanks for talking me out today. I had the best time." She smiled and blushed.

"No problem little one." I replied to her returning the hug. "Remember, I have to work tomorrow, but the next day is for us. I want you to think about where you would like to go or what you would like to do ok?"

She smiled, nodded and raced out of the room again slamming the door behind her. I smile to myself and return my attention to Clotho.

"_That little girl is quite taken with her night."_ She tells me with a smile. I wave her off and take a last mouthful of my tea. Clotho rearranges her robe and then pins me with her stern gaze.

"_My sisters and I have discussed your need for assistance." _

Instantly I was alert and I leant forward in my seat. God I hope it was good news. Clotho did not keep me in suspense.

"_We agree that you need the assistance that only your former team mates can provide. However, we cannot justify brining the entire unit of one hundred people to this dimension." _She paused and her eyes drilled into mine.

"_Four days after you and your team were killed, there was a mortar attack on your base. During the attack a number of direct hits were made on the hanger in which your team was based."_

I shook my head as the irony sank in. If I had survived the cave and the artillery strike, there was every chance I would have been killed in this attack.

Bugger. Talk about everything happening for a reason.

Clotho smiled at me showing that she had heard my thought and continued.

"_We were not completely honest with you when we sent you to this dimension."_

I raised an eyebrow at her wondering where this was going.

"_Before you activated the portal that bought you to us, you were the last man alive in your team." _

I nodded my agreement to her. She continued

"_What we did not tell you is that instead of cutting your team's threads as soon as they came to us, we were ordered by the Higher Powers to put them into stasis in case you needed their help in completing your assignment in this dimension. We did the same with certain other members of your UNTAC team that was killed in the mortar attack."_

I flopped back into my seat in relief. I may actually now have a chance at rescuing the Potters.

"_The people we have in stasis are your assault team, flight crew and the maintenance crew for the helicopter. They are being woken and given the same choice as you were with regard to helping in this dimension, or going on to the after life."_

"Thank you My Lady." I said to the Fate. "Could you also pass on my thanks to the Higher Powers?"

Clotho nodded at me. _"Now to continue."_ She paused and her eyes went out of focus. After about ten seconds her eyes cleared and she looked me in the eyes again. _"Lachesis has just informed me that everyone has agreed to assist you."_

I nodded my head as a weight seemed to fall off my shoulders.

"_Tomorrow your team will arrive here at the Manor. The Higher Powers removed the hangar and everything that was inside it at the moment of the attack on your base. Tomorrow morning before your team arrive, you will go out onto the property and determine a suitable place for the hangar."_

I nodded and grabbed my pen off the table and started taking notes on what I would have to accomplish before my team arrives.

"_There is a condition to us helping you Alex."_ Clotho informed me. I stopped writing and a lead ball suddenly appeared in my stomach.

What now?

Thankfully, she didn't keep me waiting for long.

"_Do not worry Alex, it is nothing bad. By us agreeing to change the fate of so many people and allowing them to live another life and to reweave themselves another thread outside of our control a balance had to be reached."_

She paused to ensure that I was following her.

"_When we sent you to this dimension, it was under the premise that you would get another chance at life in exchange for protecting Imogen Potter. Now that you will be having assistance to carry out this duty, the Powers have decided that your team will need to assist in four other dimensions before they can go on to the afterlife."_

I opened my mouth to ask how the fuck that will happen when she holds up a hand to stop me.

"_I will explain."_ She pinned me with a look and I closed my mouth. Seeing as I was not going to question her she smiled and went on_. "After you and your team have finished in this dimension you will be moved on to a new dimension that is in a similar state as this one". _

"_As such, your ability to die has been greatly reduced. While getting shot in the head may not kill you now, getting your head cut off will. If your team are killed before you have finished you current assignment, they will be held in stasis until you move onto the next dimension, then they will be returned to you."_

"_This will continue until you have completed four more cycles. If after these cycles, you decide you would like to continue, it will be on a dimension by dimension basis."_

I held up a hand to stop her while I made sense of everything I had just been told. "OK can I clarify a few things before we go on?" I asked her. She nodded her head at me and made a hand gesture to continue.

"How long do these cycles last?" I paused to gather my thoughts. "You have sent me here to look after Imogen and her family. How long will I be looking after them for?"

"_Until she dies."_ Was the blunt answer from the Fate sitting in front of me. _"The power of the Protector of House Potter only lasts as long as the person they are protecting lives. When they die, the bond holding the protector is broken, thus allowing them to move on. In the past this may have included continuing to protect another member of the house, but for you and your team, it will be until the person or group you are to protect dies, then you will move on to the next cycle."_

"What happens if we fail?" I asked next. "Do we have to redo that cycle until we succeed?"

"_I'm not sure about that Alex."_ She told me. _"I will have to check with the Powers. It would make sense for you to have to re live the cycle, as the reason that we are sending you there is to prevent entire dimensions and billions of lives being lost. Hmmm."_ She broke off in thought.

"_Do not worry about that Alex. I have faith in you and your team. It is not in any of you to quit. Your team will be here at midday. You have until then to prepare."_ Without waiting for an answer, she shimmered and vanished from my office.

I slumped back in my chair again, trying to digest the last hour or so. Ok lets break it down. I grabbed out a fresh sheet of paper and started writing everything down that I had just been told.

Once I was finished, it now made a lot more sense.

Basically, my team and I are semi immortal. The Fates now own our collective asses, and will continue to do so for the next four life times.

Unless of course we choose to continue for longer.

Why do I now get the feeling that we have become mercenaries?

But if we are mercs, why are we saving people instead of just doing it for money?

Actually, we are not just saving 'people' as in one or two. We are saving entire dimensions.

So we are not mercs, then we are still soldiers.

We just don't work for the UN anymore.

Hmmm. Who do I see about getting paid?

"Enough AJ." I say out loud. "Get on with it. You got what you wanted." Saying that I turned back to my desk and once again, I replanned the incursion to rescue my Principals parents.

After two hours I had a pretty solid pan on how we would do this. We would use our standard three man leap frog formation. Basically, one group of three moves forward clearing approximately fifteen to twenty feet. Then they stop and the next group moves up behind them, leap frogs the covering team and moves forward, clearing another fifteen or twenty feet.

See, pretty straight forward. Except when bullets are flying and explosions are going off friggin everywhere, then it becomes controlled chaos.

After going over the new plan, I realise that I had better tell the Potters and the Elves that they are going to have visitors tomorrow. I rub my hands over my eyes and realise that I am buggered. Who knew that chasing an excited ten year old all over London could tire you out so much.

I leave the office and head towards the Master Study. Lord and Lady Potter are dozing in their portrait, but they stir as soon as I quietly cough to get their attention. Once they are awake and looking at me I bow to them both. After greeting them I summon Cody and ask her to bring Gordy and Zoe to me. Once three elves were sitting near the portrait I began to lay out my plans for tomorrow.

**Thanks for reading.**

**Sorry to take so long to get this chapter out. I went away for a week down to Sydney to see the family and then when I came back and started to write this chapter it just would not come together. **

**My muse, I discovered had decided to take his own holiday and while I only went for a week. He fucked off to Spain for a month and has only just come back...**

**This is the seventh or eighth re-write and basically, I got jack of editing and re-doing parts (or even the entire chapter) so what you see is what you get. **

**Hopefully the next few chapters wont be so shite and I can get back into the grove.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Still not mine...**

**Hello and thanks to all my new readers, reviewers and followers. **

**MASSIVE thanks to **Dreamless-Sleep777 **who is the person who helps to fill in the plot holes that you could park a friggin Mack truck in. Cheers mate. **

**This chapter just flowed. I'm not sure how well it reads, but it made sense while I was punching it out.**

**My muse is back from Spain with some great pictures and as you can see, fully rested and full of new ideas... **

**As always, please review. It helps with the process.**

**Chapter 8...**

The next morning saw Zoe waking my up at 0600 with a cup of tea. I nodded my thanks to the little elf and she popped away while I began my morning ritual. I was dressed in my running gear and was heading out of my room within ten minutes. I had a quick look in on Imogen and I saw that she was sleeping peacefully.

This morning as I ran the boundary line, I was paying alot more attention to the landscape than the last time I had run. I needed a space big enough to fit a hangar big enough to fit the chopper plus all of its ancillaries as well as accommodation and a mess hall and office space was going to take up a fairly good chunk of the Potter property.

I found a suitable place near the North West corner of the property. There were no roads or any sign of habitation on the other side of the fence, as well as we were hidden from the manor.

Which I think will be a good thing for the Potters. Our job is to protect, not to be seen.

The thing that really sold the location for me was that it was right on the water. Nothing toughens you up more than a two mile swim in the middle of winter in the UK. One of our aircraft maintainers was a personal trainer before he joined the military so he knows all the different way to make our lives miserable with exercise.

After I have finished surveying the property I head back to the manor and up to my room. After I had cleaned up and gotten dressed for the day, I headed down to breakfast and to ask Lord Potter for permission to use that part of the property to set up shop.

He agrees and after making sure that Cody would tell Imogen where I was when she eventually woke up, I called for Gordy and had him pop me to where I had planned to set up. I was about to show Gordy where I wanted everything when a thought stopped me. I sent a mental question to the Fates and Clotho answered and told me that my team would be arriving in front of the Manor at 1300.

I looked at my watch and realised that I had about five hours to accomplish everything. I pointed out the area I wanted marked out and Gordy called for another five elves that appeared to assist him. Once I had explained what I wanted to accomplish the elves spread out. At a command from Gordy, the six elves snapped their fingers and the grass and small bushes disappeared to be replaced with an area the size of a rugby field covered in dirt.

"Well done guys, that was perfect." I praised the elves as soon as they all popped back to me. this caused them all to look down in embarrassment. "Now stand close to me please, as I am about to get some things delivered." I grabbed both my wrists and called for the Fates to assist me.

I also send them a mental image of the cleared land and exactly where I would like the hangar placed. There was a shimmer in front of us that looked like a heat haze that lasted for about a minute. Once the haze had cleared there was an aircraft hangar and apron area exactly where I had requested it.

I turned towards the awed elves and winked at them. "Not a word you lot." I said smiling and I was greeted with six grins as the elves seemed happy to be sharing a secret with their 'Master Alex'. I started to walk towards the hangar when Gordy grabbed my hand. I saw the question in his eyes and nodded. Without a second's hesitation, I was popped right in front of the hangar doors which were open.

I heard several other pops and the five elves that had helped Gordy had followed us. I walked into the cavernous interior of the hangar and saw the UH60 sitting parked right where it should be with the tow tractor hooked up to the rear wheel.

Sweet.

To my left as I walked into the hangar with the elves following behind me and gazing around at everything with wide eyes, were twenty H1 Hummers with .50 cal machine guns on the back as well as several motor bikes and a half dozen UNIMOG trucks. And several mini buses.

I paused and recounted. That cant be right. There is way more equipment that what we need. I was about to call the Fates to ask them, but then I decided to hold my tongue.

I figured it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Next to the vehicles, were two dozen rolling tool chests and the other assorted items and spare parts that were necessary to keep Team 4 mobile for six months at a time. On the opposite side of the hanger was a set of officers that belonged to the Crew Chief and the other maintainers as well as a set of toilets and showers. A set of aluminium stairs led up to another set of officers that belonged to the command team and the operations room.

On the back wall was a massive 3D painting of an Archangel with a sword in one hand and a glowing silver ball in an outstretched hand that represented a soul, with the words TEAM 4 above it. One of the maintainers found it on the internet and copied it onto the wall.

It did look pretty friggin mean.

I turned around and exited the hangar and looked around at the remaining clear space. We had about half a rugby field left to make use of. I turned to the elves who were still hot on my heels.

"Guys do you know how to build buildings?" I asked and one of the elves who's name tag said Jason shyly stepped forward.

"I is being able to do thats Master Alex." He told me looking down at his feet.

This would never do. I squatted down in front of Jason and put my finger under his chin. "Ok guys and girls, here is a new order." I stopped and made eye contact with the rest of the elves in front of me. "You are to be proud of your abilities. If I ask if you can do something, you don't have to be embarrassed that you can do something. I am really glad that you can do what I ask. However, if by the same token, you do not know how to do something, admit it." I saw understanding in their large eyes. I looked back at Jason.

"I don't know the first thing about making a building, so I am relying on you to tell me if what I request can actually be done. I do not want you punishing yourselves because you can't do what I ask. Make sure you pass this order onto the other Potter elves. Do we understand each other people?" Little heads were nodding so fast I was surprised none of them got a concussion from the flapping ears.

Now that that little drama had been taken care of I turned my attention back to Jason and explained what I wanted to be made. He listened carefully to my description and pointed out a few flaws in my design and suggested several improvements. When we were happy with what was required, he gathered the other elves and spent ten minutes explaining to them what he wanted them to do.

While the team huddle was going on, there was a pop behind me and before I could turn around I was crushed from behind be an enthusiastic Principal.

"Hi Alex." Imogen said while trying to realign my vertebrae.

"Morning Little one, did you sleep well?" I asked her and she instantly deflated and the happiness went out of her eyes. I reached down and picked her up and she wrapped her arms and legs around me and started sobbing.

"Alex, I have the worst dreams. I keep dreaming that I am still in Their House and He is coming down the stairs for me."

I slowly start rocking from side to side, whispering soothing sounds in her ears as she sobs. I look down and see that Jason is looking at me so I nod my head and he snaps his fingers and I feel a slight pressure right behind my knees, he points behind me and without any hesitation, I sink down onto a lounge chair that he had just conjured for me and his Mistress.

Ok that's it, I am going to find a psyche for Imogen. I cant believe that I forgot to organise this. Fuck I feel like an asshole.

I had a thought and tap my Protectors ring with my thumb. "Are you there Sam?" I project the question into my mind.

"What do you need Alex?" she replied instantly.

"Can you talk to Beth and ask if she can shield Imogen's dreams until I can get some help for her?" I ask the spirit.

Samantha's eyes seem to go out of focus for several seconds before she looks back at me. "She already is Alex, the fact that Immie is still having these nightmares shows just how strong they are."

I nod my head and thank Sam for her time. She smiled, curtsied to me and vanished. Ok, this needs to be dealt with ASAP.

I continue to comfort Imogen while she cries herself out. When her sobs had subsided to the occasional hiccup, she sat back and looked at me with haunted green eyes. I brushed her hair back from her face and gently leant forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"Better?" I asked and she gave me a watery smile and nodded. "Would you mind if I took a bit of time out of our day tomorrow so I could make some calls to get you some help with your nightmares?"

She thought about it and shook her head. "No, I need help, I can't keep doing this." She hiccupped again and I gently stroked her back.

"Imogen, from now on, as soon as you wake up, I want you to come and get me ok? It doesn't matter what time it is, I want you to wake me up." I make a mental note for either Cody or Zoe to put a ward on her room that will let me know if she has a nightmare.

Yes I am aware of the privacy issues, what I ask the elves to do is modify the ward so it only activates when after she has fallen asleep. Actually, I will speak to Sam and get her to ask Beth to notify me if she has one. Therefore, I will be able to comfort her straight away.

I also make a metal note to ask the Fates what has happened to the Dursleys since I rigged their house when I recued Imogen from them.

Once Imogen had calmed down she stood up and wiped her face and blew her nose on a tissue that Cody had conjured for her. She thanked the little elf and then she seemed to realise what was going on around her for the first time.

Her eyes were like desert bowls as she watched a three storey building seeming to build itself right before her eyes. She turned to look at me and I answered her unasked question.

"My team will be arriving here in about three hours, I wanted to make sure that we had everything ready to go as before they arrived." I explained

She nodded her head in understanding. I explained to her what the elves were building and I asked her if she wanted to have a look in the hangar at the toys inside. With a smile she took my hand and we walked into the hangar.

When Imogen saw the helo she stopped and looked at it with such longing in her eyes. She turned to me but still seemed to look at the Stealth Hawk.

"I have always wanted to fly." She whispered. "I used to dream that I would be able to fly as high as a bird and leave Them behind." She turned to face me. "Alex." She whispered then stopped and shook herself. "It doesn't matter." She let go of my hand and started to turn back towards the main doors.

I stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Wait a second Little One." I told her quietly. I mentally reached out to The Fates.

"Is the helo ready to fly now or does it need to be checked over?" I sent my thoughts to them. Atopos answered me instantly.

"Yes it is ready to be used Hairetzio." She told me in a gentle voice.

"Thank you My Lady." I replied. I got the sensation of a hand trailing down the side of my face – that was new – then I looked at Imogen who was standing forlornly in front of me looking at her feet.

"Common Little One." and I led her to the Life Support office which was where all of the flight crews helmets and flight gear was kept. We entered the room, and I went straight to my locker and pulled out my helmet and support vest that held all of my emergency gear.

Once I had all of my kit, I went to the far wall of the room and grabbed one of the smallest spare helmets there. I handed it to Imogen and instructed her to put it on. she did and the visor came down over her eyes.

"Oops, I think we need to adjust that." I smiled at her as I took the helmet off and made the necessary adjustments to it. It took another three goes, but I eventually I got her helmet fitting correctly.

I didn't worry about a flight suit for her – we can worry about that later. I needed to do something to take her mind off her melt down before. Especially as this was such an easy wish to fulfil, I was more than happy to be able to grant it.

"You're lucky I'm qualified to fly this thing, otherwise you would have had to wait for a few days." I told her with a smile which she returned. "Ok kiddo, your my new co-pilot." I pulled out a manual from my bag and handed it to her. "If you are going to fly in my chopper, you have to help me do the pre flight inspection."

Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.

"Are you really going to take me flying with you?" She asked in disbelief.

"Of course I am, who else would I want to fly with?" I asked with a smile. She dropped the manual and latched on to my waist whispering her thanks over and over. I crouched down in front of her.

"I will never lie to you Immie." I told her gently. "And I will always be with you. Till your old and grey remember." I held out my left pinkie to her and she pinkie shook with me as another promise was made.

I stood back up and she went and picked the manual up from where she had dropped it. "Ok turn to page twenty." I told her and she flicked through the book until she had the correct page. "Before we fly, we have to make sure the plane is in good condition and we have to check certain items to be sure of this." She nods her understanding to me. "Cool, start with the title and read number one to me."

And so we began Imogen's first encounter with the modified Black Hawk. While we were pre-flighting, Jason came into the hangar and told me that the building was complete. I looked at my watch and noticed that we still had two hours until the team entered this dimension.

I turned back to Jason and asked if he and his elves could make some access roads to the hangar from the manor and also asked about making a side gate so that my troops could come and go without disturbing the residents of the manor.

He then told me that Lord Potter had instructed him to do whatever I asked for as it was for the protection of his family. He said that the roads would be done and he popped out. I turned back to Imogen and helped into the left front seat and showed her how to strap in her five point harness.

Once she was strapped in, I moved her seat up as high as it would go so that she could see over the dash board.

I think I am going to have to get her a couple of phone books in future. But we managed.

Once she was in, I shut her door and went around and removed the wheel chocks and then pushed the helo out onto the pad with the tow truck. Once it was in position, I disconnected the tug and parked it back in the hangar, then went and jumped into the right seat.

"Hey kiddo, the others will be here in a little while, do you mind if I just get the check list over with quickly because that means that we will have more time in the air?" I asked her and she quickly agreed.

I took the checklist off her and completed it within about thirty minutes we were turning and burning. I looked at my watch and calculated that I could take Imogen for about an hour flight and then be back in enough time to shut down and then meet my crew when they arrived.

I tuned the radio to Liverpool airport and got permission for the joy flight.

"Ready?" I asked she turned to me with the biggest smile I had seen yet on her face and nodded her head.

"Ok here we go." I gently pulled up on the collective and we lifted off the ground. I noticed as we did that all of the Potter elves had come out to watch. Imogen waved at them and they waved back at their Mistress.

I smiled at the joy on her face as I turned the helo towards the north and we headed out over the shore at about one hundred feet. Once we were about a quarter mile off shore I turned to the left and we started flying down the coast. "Ok Little One?" I asked her on the intercom.

"Its brilliant Alex." She yelled to me. I cringed at the noise and adjusted the volume on my headset down a few notches.

We cruised around the area and over flew Holyhead and Caernarfon and then down to Pwllheli. The entire time Imogen had her head on a swivel, one minute she was looking out her side window, the next she was looking out the windscreen, then she was asking questions about the flight instruments and how the controls worked. Then the cycle started all over again.

Once we were on the ground and the Black Hawk was shut down I went around to her door and helped her out of the harness. She flung herself out of her seat and into my arms.

"Thank you so much Alex. That was the best thing I have ever done." She exclaimed. I smiled at her enthusiasm and helped her to undo her helmet. Once I had returned everything to the life support office - yes her helmet went into my locker – Imogen called for Cody to take us back to the Manor so we could have a shower and get changed before everyone arrived.

###

I looked at my watch as I walked out of the front doors, and I saw that I was fifteen minutes early.

Happy with that.

I called for Gordy and his work crew from earlier today and thanked them all for their assistance. As we had over flown the property, I had seen that the elves had completed the road building task exactly as I had requested it.

After stammering their thanks to me, my work crew vanished and went back to their duties. Just as my watch beeped the hour, there was a shimmering directly in front of me and the Fates along with more than the expected nineteen people all with packs, weapons and wearing their black UNTAC combat uniforms appeared in front of me.

Before any of my team could say anything. I bowed to the Fates. "My Ladies, thank you for granting my request for assistance." I said to them.

"You are quite welcome Alex." Lachesis said to me. "After careful consideration we have decided to give you your entire team back. We feel that you will work even better if you are all together."

I just stood there staring dumbly and nodding.

"Good luck with your mission and if you need any further help, you know how to contact us." With that the tree Fates disappeared.

As they left, I turned back to the fifty nine people standing before me. We had worked together for almost eight years. We were as tight as a family, and considering we were now alone in this dimension, the designation of family just took on a whole new meaning.

That doesn't mean I'm going to go all sentimental on them.

"About fucking time you lot showed up." I said with a smirk. "We've got a fuck load of work to do and you lot have been slacking off doing fuck all."

"Love you too Boss." Said a voice from the back. The laugh that followed broke the tension and I was swarmed under in a massive pile up of bodies while everyone tried to talk at once.

After a few minutes, order was restored and picked myself up from the driveway. "Ok you lot, it is my understanding that The Fates have explained everything to you and that you all agreed with the conditions of coming to this dimension to help me out?"

There was a chorus of "Yes Boss." From the masses.

"Excellent it saves me from doing it." I continued. The elves have spent the morning building the admin wing and the perimeter roads, the Fates put the hangar and all of its kit in place this morning. And yes before you ask Brian." I say to Captain Brain Morgan who is our Crew Chief and the Officer in Charge of maintaining the Black Hawk.

"I took zero –zero for a spin just before and she is fine." I told him. There were a few snorts and shaken heads from this revelation. They all know how much I love to fly the Hawk. He nodded to me and explained that the Fates had kept them fully up to date and they knew what Imogen had gone through. "Ok let's get inside and I will introduce you to the portrait of the former Lord and Lady Potter. And yes boys and girls, you are sure as fuck not in Kansas anymore."

###

The rest of the day was spent getting the crew settled into their new accommodations and getting the operations side. There were a few problems. Not the least of which was needing the elves to double the size of the accommodation due to the extra fifty nine people the Fates had bought to this dimension.

After talking with Jason, the elves decided just to build a new accommodation wing that would house everyone and vanish the building they had completed this morning and start from scratch on that one. Between myself and my operations team, we hashed out a plan for the administration building and then left the elves to get to work.

Imogen was almost glued to my side for the entire day. After the way she was treated by her 'family' she could not comprehend the fact that these total strangers were willing to give up the afterlife to help her.

It over whelmed the ten year old a few times during the day and she ended up a sobbing mess in my arms more than once. But we got through it, and I gave her a kiss and a hug before Cody popped her off to bed.

During the day, Cody had charmed Imogen's room to alert me when she had a nightmare. With my apparition ability I could be at her bed side in seconds. I also had a talk with our medical team about getting her some counselling. One of the medics said that he would look into it tomorrow for me as they all knew that I was spending the day with Imogen.

That night before I went to bed, Zoe came and told me that Lord Potter wanted to see me in the study. I took the little elf's hand and she popped me into the Masters Study. I bowed to Lord and Lady Potter and greeted them.

"Relax Alex." Dorea told me and I gratefully sank into what had become my usual chair in front of the fire place. "I am guessing that you have had a rather busy day?" she asked with a smile and I just nodded and groaned.

"It was easier when it was just me." I said with a tired laugh. The Fates decided that instead of just the nineteen people that I had requested, they sent me the other forty nine of a fifty man team. As well as all of the operations equipment as well." I paused and took the cup of tea that Zoe had just popped in with and I smiled my thanks at the little elf who beamed at me and popped back out again.

"One thing that we will have to remember is that most of our equipment is from twenty or so years in the future. This is ok when we will be around magicals, however, when we are around non-magical people, we will have to keep it low key." I took a mouthful of the tea and sighed. As per usual, it was perfect.

"We have had a request from Jason and the other elves that helped you today." Lord Potter said to me with a smirk on his face. "They enjoyed working with you and your people today, they have officially asked if they can work for you."

That shook me.

"Aren't they bound to House Potter?" I asked in confusion.

"Yes they are and they still will be." Lady Potter answered my question. "You work for House Potter, therefore they will still be working for us. I will be honest, we have too many elves here for the work that is required. However, we could not let them go as not being bound to a family would kill them."

"If you are happy with this arrangement, my people and I will be glad of the assistance." I answered and Charlus summoned the elves to him. With a host of pops, the four elves appeared in front of the portrait and bowed.

"You is summoning us Lord Potter?" Jason asked in his high pitched voice.

"Yes Jason, Alex has agreed to your request for you all to assist his people. From now on you will work at the new buildings." He smiled at the excited elves. "Will the four of you be enough or would one or two more be better?"

"Two more elves would be betters Lord Potter." Jason replied after thinking for a few seconds. "The soldiers haves lots for us to do's. We is going to be so busy." The little elf was practically vibrating he was so excited.

"Alright, ask the other elves for two more to join you and move you things down to the hangar."

The four elves bowed and popped out.

"There you go Alex, now everyone is happy." He smiled at me. "One thing we will have to sort out in the next few days are wages for you, your men and women. Inform them that we will pay them double what they were receiving while in your last dimension."

I went to protest, but he held up his hand.

"We knew the Fates were going to send us your entire team to assist us, they came and visited us yesterday when you took Imogen into London. They also told us of the deal that every one of them including your self have agreed to help my family." He pinned me with a stare and I nodded agreement to him.

"As such we will compensate you all for the sacrifice they have agreed to."

I bowed my head in acceptance. What the hell else could I do?

He coughed and I looked back to the portrait. "Now, when will you be getting my Son and Daughter in law out of that shit hole?"

**Thanks for reading...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Still not mine...**

**Hello and thanks to all my new readers, reviewers and followers. **

**MASSIVE thanks to **Dreamless-Sleep777 & sfjoellen **who help to fill in the plot holes that you could park a friggin Mack truck in. Cheers guys. **

**As always, please review. It helps with the process.**

**Chapter 9...**

**Hogwarts a few days earlier...**

Dumbledore was worried. Imogen Potter who was the key to his plans for the Wizarding world was missing. An alarm ward had triggered a breach on the Dursley residence and when he had finally realised this and gone to investigate it, there were muggle dressed in white suits with strange masks and gloves on crawling all over the property.

Casting a light legilimency charm on one of the police had revealed that early the morning before, a passing jogger had noticed that the front door to the Dursleys house was wide open and that there appeared to be a trail of blood leading from the driveway to the front door of the house.

The jogger had ran to across the road and knocked on the door of number five and explained what he had discovered and then used the neighbours phone to contact the police.

When the police had entered the house and followed the 'blood' trail and it led to the basement, where the police had found evidence of torture carried out. They quickly searched the rest of the house and found the unconscious Dursleys who were woken and after a few questions were cuffed and taken away in separate police cars.

Dumbledore cursed. There was no magical signature so it clearly was nothing to do with the magical world. But he needed to find that fucking girl. He needed her for his plans for the Wizarding world. More importantly, without showing live images of her to her parents using a scrying mirror, how was he going to continue to force them to create charms and potions for him to use.

It was amazing how people could find the skill to excel, when their slut of a daughter was threatened

He couldn't use Severus. He was a pathetic potioneer. All of his 'breakthroughs' came from Lily Potter and her Husband - this was why when he was teaching a class he just wrote the directions on the board and ordered the class to brew them.

He smiled darkly to himself. He had his own hold on Severus Snape.

.

###

He had sent his minion out to try and track the girl using her magical signature as for some reason, he could no longer track her using his Anchor – which was something else he would have to investigate, he only had so many of the precious things. After three days his servant had returned to request instructions as he had not heard from his master for over a week.

This confused Dumbledore as he had only sent his servant to search for Potter three days ago. His confusion was short lived as a quick scan with legilimency had revealed a shocking thing to the master manipulator. His memories of the last week had been erased from his mind.

Not just obliviated.

Erased.

As in it never happened.

As in he had lost thirty minutes of his life to never get it back.

Albus could not risk anything happening to his servant, so he dosed him with the draft of living death to keep him unconscious until he worked out what had happened to his memory. He had checked the wards on Azkaban and they were still as strong as ever. The Potters were going nowhere.

That had been two days ago and he was still no closer to figuring out what happened.

The old man sighed and decided to retire for the evening.

He got to his feet and started to walk towards his sleeping chambers that were attached to his office, when a shockwave of magic blasted him back into and across his office where his backwards progress was halted by the ancient desk in the middle of the room.

The cry of pain as his pelvis shattered from the impact was swallowed almost instantly as the force of his waist colliding with the side of the desk caused his upper body to keep going and forced his head to smash violently into the various parchments that were scattered about the desk top.

The noise that this series of events caused was drowned out by the violent thunderstorm that was currently lashing northern Scotland at the time.

Not that it would have mattered, as none of the staff currently residing in the castle for the summer were even aware of the Headmasters presence. Due to his inability to locate the Potter whore, he had told them three days earlier that he was leaving for a month long holiday in France which would allow him to search unmolested.

None of the portraits were able to summon assistance for the old man as they had been frozen into immobility by Dumbledore a week after he had become the Headmaster.

The past heads of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry could still hear and see everything that happened. They just could not move or interact with anything, even each other.

Likewise, the house elves had long since been forbidden from entering the Headmasters office unless summoned.

So it was as the grand manipulator lay unconscious on his back in the middle of his office that all of grand plans for Imogen Potter and her family came crashing down around his ears. It would not be until he woke up in agony nearly four days later that he realised what had happened.

All of the Potters were had vanished...

###

**A few days before the ass fell out of Dumbledore's world... **

We had spent a hectic two days after everyone arrived in the new dimension getting people settled and checking that The Fates had warded all of our equipment to work in a magical environment before they sent it to this dimension.

Thankfully they had.

Jason and his team of elves had installed several portraits in key rooms and areas of our base so that Lord Potter and other former Heads of House could offer advice and generally just see what was going on. Once they had done that, they went around and generally assisted wherever they could.

They were a god send.

Once everyone was settled, I called an all hands meeting and briefed everyone on what was to become our day to day jobs while we were in this dimension. These included a vehicle perimeter patrol using the hummers and an on foot security team around the manor.

Further security measures would be discussed with the Potters once they were back home and restored to health. Once all of the house keeping stuff was out of the way, I informed them that we would be raiding Azkaban the following night.

There was a rustling and I paused to allow everyone involved in the mission to pull their note books and pens from their pockets.

I nodded to Jason and he snaps his fingers and a 3D model of the prison forms in front of everyone, and I start the brief.

We will be flying from the Potters which was located near Holyhead to Edinburgh to refuel at the local airport. From there we fly north east for another 250 miles to the middle of the North Sea. When we were fifteen miles from the prison, we would drop down to thirty feet of the ocean, switch off our navigation lights and begin our run.

Once we were over the prison, we would fast rope down onto the roof and begin clearing the twenty five levels that we needed to traverse to get to the Potters, who according to the Fates, were located in the lowest level of the prison which was actually five levels below the sea.

The Auror guard post, administration and barracks are located on the ground floor. There are no Dementors one that level, however, we had to work on the assumption that they were everywhere else and patrolled in random areas. This included the rest of the island.

I fielded a question from Corporal Keila Ben-Asher who came to us via Mossad and my number two. She wanted to know how we are going to deal with the Dementors.

"I have had a few thoughts about that." I informed everyone. "Jason." I called and the little elf snapped his fingers and a Vietnam era flame thrower appeared in front of me. "I have been told that our weapons will stop Dementors, however, you have all read the books and fire also works on them, don't forget we all carry napalm grenades." I broke off my explanation and looked around the room to see everyone nodding in agreement.

"I would like to have this as a backup plan. One person from each team will be equipped with one of these. If you hold your figure on the trigger, you will get approximately ten minutes of flame. So don't go overboard with them."

Keila thanked me and sat down and I resumed my briefing.

Once we had secured the Potters we were to make our way back to the roof and then call in the helo for evac. Once we were on the way back, we would land once again at Edinburgh to refuel and then head back here to base where the medical team - which included the Potters Elvin healer – would be standing by to take over.

The ground crew needed to fit the four out rigger tanks on to the UH60 to increase our range. The round trip was close to a thousand miles and even with the out riggers, we only had a range of eight hundred miles, hence the need for two fuel stops. If the Potters are in a worse condition than we think, we can skip the return stop and hammer back here, however, that would leave us extremely short on fuel.

Short as in we may not make it back here.

Once the briefing was complete, I dismiss everyone to return to their duties and I call on Zoe to pop me back to manor where after spending some time playing with Imogen and having dinner, I begin my own preparations for tomorrow night's mission.

###

**Present time...**

While Dumbledore was trying to figure out a way to get Imogen back under his control we were currently flying at fifty feet over the North Sea. It was almost 0200 and out TOT – time on target was 0215. I looked around at the other five members of Team 4 and I noticed that with the exception of our resident Canadian, Corporal Luke Byers who was reading a novel using a tiny map light, everyone else was dozing.

I ran the mission through my head several more times while I waited for the ready call from the Pilots. Once I was sure that I would not forget anything, I gave my equipment a final once over to make sure that nothing was obstructed or would fowl on the fast rope line.

None of us were weighted down with heavy packs except for our medic, a blonde bombshell from France called Andrea Smith her pack carried all of the first aid and trauma gear. Our packs only contained rappelling gear and two of the team carried collapsible stretchers.

Several men had made the assumption when she had been out at bars or clubs that because she was blonde, big busted and blue eyed, she would be an easy catch for the night.

That was usually the last mistake they made and if they did not take no for an answer, they usually woke up the following morning in hospital sporting at least a broken nose.

While I was contemplating our medic and the paper work she had caused me, our co-pilots voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"Five minutes people, lets shake it loose" Leut Adam Andrews thick Welsh accent came over our headsets. Everyone stirred and stood up as best they could in the cramped interior of the chopper to get themselves ready and Luke jammed his book into a pocket on his webbing.

There was not much to check.

Once we had switched our NVG's on, we were pretty much ready to go. We only had rolling gear with us. Basically, rolling gear was weapons only – with a few mars bars and a camel back full of Gatorade thrown in to keep the energy levels up.

Ok I'll be honest. We are going against Dementors. We have a shitload of Mars Bars

Within two minutes everyone was in position and we knelt down on the deck waiting for the pilots call.

"10 seconds to pitch." Came over the headset from Adam.

This informed us that we had 10 seconds until the chopper pulled up from its incursion altitude of thirty feet.

I started counting down in my head and just as I reached one, the chopper pulled up and cleared the shoreline, quickly climbing towards the roof of the prison.

"DOORS."

I reached out a hand and ripped the catch open, allowing the door the fly back on its roller to lock in the open position. Byers, who was my number three and the person closest to the back of the aircraft, checked that the door was locked open and gave me the thumbs up.

"ROPERS IN THE DOOR"

I stood in a half crouch facing the front of the helicopter. My right hand was gripping a tie down on the deck and my left hand was on the rope that was attached to a hard point on the roof.

I feel the front of the aircraft rise as the pilots pitch up to slow us down.

Any second now.

"GO GO GO."

I kick the rope out the door and grab the rope with both hands. Kicking myself out of the chopper, I wrap my ankles around the rope and I begin my decent. The ground is rushing at me and I feel the rope shake as Corporal Ben-Asher started her decent on the rope. When I was about ten feet off the ground I pushed down on my locked ankles and my rapid decent slowed, allowing me to drop the last three feet to the ground and clear out of the way for my two team mates to land safely.

I moved to about fifteen feet from where I touched down and scanned the area with my rifle up to my shoulder. I felt a hand slap my shoulder and I looked back to see the other five formed up near me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the two ropes fall from the helo and the nose pitch down as the pilots pull power and get the hell out of there.

We will pick the ropes up when we evac.

Once again I was impressed with my people. Time from start to finish, the entire insertion had only taken about thirty seconds.

Using had signals the team stack up beside the door. I nod to my team XO Staff Sergeant Tim Mitchell, and he pushes a small mirror on a telescoping handle under the door looking for trip wires or anything else that could fuck us up.

He removes the mirror from the door and gives me the all clear. I signal to Tim and he pulls the door open and his team disappear into the blackness.

Now that we were on the ground and the adrenalin from the fast roping was fading, I was becoming more and more aware of the feeling of shear misery that seemed to rise up out of the stones around us.

"Fuck me." I hear Andrea breath over the tactical radios. "This place is fucking with my calm Boss."

"I hear that Doc." I reply as Luke, Keila and I follow stick two into the building and down the first flight of stairs.

"Mercury, this is Six, on the ground beginning entry." I transmit into my radio. Mercury is the call sign for our opps room back in Holyhead.

"Roger six, cameras and LSR are nominal." I double click my mike to roger their transmission. LSR are our life support readings. Each member of the assault team are hooked up to bio monitors that keep track of pulse, BP, body temp and also our GPS location.

Thanks to us getting dropped twenty five years in the past, I had to do some pretty serious begging for the fates to let all of our gear work without needing pesky things like satellites and GPS locators the size of a suitcase.

Fuck I love magic.

We leap frogged our way towards the end of the passageway where according to the plans that Cody had managed to acquire for us, the stairs leading down into the rest of the prison were located.

Using our night vision goggles gave the prison an even creepier visage that what I had envisioned in my head. Everything was green.

Although thinking about it, it is probably a good thing that we had to use our NVG's. We didn't have to see what the prison was really like.

This joint was fucking creepy. Apart from the occasional moan coming from behind some of the cell doors the entire floor was dead quiet. The only constant was that fucked up feeling of despair, misery and depression that seemed to seep into my bones.

"Mars bar now people." I order finally recognising the feelings for what they were. Several people shook themselves and as one, six hands reached into pouches on webbing and pulled out the chocolaty goodness.

"Ok groovers." I say over the radio. "Let's get this fucking job done and get the fuck out of this place."

We reached the stairs and my stick took the lead, leapfrogging down to the next level. The way Azkaban was set up, meant that there was not one main stairway. You had to traverse each floor to get to the end of the corridor to the stairs leading to the next level. We did not see this coming.

As we descended to level twenty the noises from the inmates and feelings of despair began to increase. I began to realise why they were getting more pronounced. The top floors were the prisoners who had been in here the longest. They were basically husks of human beings, there was nothing left up there for the Dementors to feed on. As we got further down, the prisoners still had the happy thoughts that these abominations required to sustain themselves.

We had made it down to level seventeen when we first came across a Dementor. I was leading my stick and we were about a quarter of the way along the corridor after leap frogging stick two in the stairwell, when the fucking thing just floated through the wall of a cell about fifty feet in front of us. Then it stopped and looked straight at us.

Fuck.

The Dementor turned its body to fully face us and I realised that it was hovering about three feet off the floor. The feeling of misery that this thing gave off only slightly bothered me and I realised with a shock that while the felling of misery and total suffering emanating from the very stones of the prison affected me, the actual presence of a Dementor did not.

Just like that fucking bird or whatever the fuck it was that tap danced all over my back when its master invaded the Manor.

I look at the rest of my team and realised that they were not affected either. I bought my Styer up and sighted on the I estimated to be twelve foot tall creature, flicking the safety off as I did so.

I felt a motion to my right and my NVG's flared slightly with light given off by the pilot light on the flame thrower that Luke was now pointing at the Dementor. I also knew that Ben-Asher is on his right and stick two is covering us from the stairs.

The Dementor slowly glided towards us. I wasn't sure if that was to draw out the fear of their next victim or it was actually curious about our presence.

I flicked off the safety and pulled the rifle into my shoulder. Looking through the sight, I lined up the glowing red dot with the centre of the things hood.

"Standby people." I say into my throat mic. "Let's see how this plays out."

JKR and the producers of the movies, managed to do a pretty bang up job of getting the look of a Dementor correct. What they failed fucking miserably at was the shear presence of the fucking thing.

Even though it seemed we were all immune to the effect of fear and being forced to relive your worst memories, we are still able to feel the bone chilling cold and a slight feeling of terror.

Fucking things.

I shake it off and concentrate on the spectre slowly approaching. I can suddenly feel a malevolent presence in my mind and with a start I realise that the fucking thing is attempting to find a purchase in my head to start extracting it's fucked up form of pleasure from me.

"Fuck." I snarl into my radio. "Light it up." the sound of the suppressed weapons is shockingly loud in the confined space of the corridor. However, the sound that the flame thrower makes as it roars to life drowns it out completely.

My NVG's flare shockingly from the light of the thrower, making it almost impossible to see before the sensors adjust themselves and reduce the light amplification of the goggles.

I furiously blink my eyes trying to clear the spots dancing in front of my vision. Where the fuck did it go?

The sound of the flame thrower is absolutely drowned out by the most soul destroying sound I had ever heard. It was way worse than that fucking shadow bird thing could ever be.

"Tango down." Came over the radio. And we instantly stopped shooting to look at the where the noise was coming from. What I saw shocked the fuck out of me.

The Dementor was writhing on the ground burning like a roman candle. Its screams as it died were just about the most horrific thing you could ever imagine.

Taking a chance, I stepped up to the thing being careful to stay out of reach of its thrashing limbs and shot it straight through the centre of what I guessed was its head.

It gave a shudder and stopped moving – and screeching.

Thank fuck.

The smell on the other had...

Geezus. If I thought the noise was bad, the smell was ten thousand fucking times worse. I gagged and waved the team forward. We had to get away from that horrible stench.

We made it down to level sixteen and paused to regroup.

"Fuck Boss." Corporal Tom Corcoran said to me while we paused in the stair well. "That thing was worse than a sewer." There was a murmur of agreement from some of the team.

"Tell me about it." I replied. "Ok, we know they can see us and they will be gunning for us. We have no idea if they can or even will communicate with each other to call out for help. This place is too big and we are going too slowly. We need to hump it if we are going to make the RV, I don't plan on having the chopper flame out and dump our asses in the middle of the fucking North Sea."

The one problem with missions over the water is that there is nowhere for the helo to land. They are currently in a holding pattern about twenty miles away from the island flying to conserve as much fuel as possible.

However like all things, fuel is a finite thing and it runs out rather quickly when you need it.

"Ready for a little run my Minions?" I ask the team.

"Ready to roll Six." Came the voice of my XO.

I shove a fresh magazine into the Styer and chamber a round. "Let's hump it people." So saying I lead the team in a run along floor sixteen.

The others spread out and follow me at ten meter intervals. We don't worry about leap frogging anymore, the idea is to cover as much ground as possible in the shortest amount of time.

We get level ten when we encounter our next Dementors. I burst out of the stairwell and come face to face with another of the fucking things. Reflex's kick in and my rifle snaps up and I loose a three round burst straight into its head and keep running.

There was another four of the things on this floor as well so I kept my rifle up and kept shooting. I heard the clatter of gunfire behind me and I knew that the next two people in line were double tapping the downed Dementors behind me.

It's called insurance. You do not leave a live enemy behind you.

With a click my rifle went dry and I took one step right and crouched down.

"Loading." I called and the rest of the team kept going past me while I reloaded. Once I had replaced the magazine with a fresh one, I waited for the last person in line to thump me on the shoulder. I counted to ten and then stood up and followed the line. I was now tail end Charlie and it was my job to watch our back to ensure that no one crept up on us.

The levels seem to pass in a green tinged blur of shooting and reloading as we encounter more and more Dementors. From what I could quickly count as we fled past them was that we had killed at least fifty of the things.

I can't understand why we have yet to encounter a single human guard during our decent.

Then it comes to me. There are no human guards here at night.

I hope.

I pass this idea onto the rest of the team over the radio and everyone seems to agree with my assessment. With this in mind we pick up the pace.

We had just cleared level one and we were crouched in the stairs near the entrance to the Auror barracks. Mitch, my team XO scouted ahead checking for doors.

"Six." His Texan accent was thick in my headset. "It looks like they transfigure the doors into walls as they leave the island." There is only a blank wall on either side and at the end another staircase leading down."

"Copy that." I nod to myself. "Move people." I say to the rest of the team, who move out in front of me while I give a location report to Mercury, then I follow after the team.

Surprisingly we do not encounter anymore Dementors. We also do not encounter anymore cell doors.

We go down another three levels until we are at the absolute bottom of the prison. There is nothing there. Just a blank wall on either side.

Fuck

Dumbles has put up wards.

"Sam." I call to my guardian.

"Yes Aj?" she responds. This time I don't go into my mind to talk to her, I keep my attention fully on my surroundings and just let her voice sound in my head.

"We need some help here. We in close to the Potters cell, but there is a ward or something in the area, there is only solid walls. And we can't hear anything." I tell her

She is quiet for a minute as she tried to work out a solution.

"I'm sorry Alex, you will have to ask the fates."

"Thanks Sam." I say to her as her presence fades form my mind.

I was about to call to the Fates when an idea hits me. "Everyone spread out." I order my team. Look for an indentation in the middle of one of the blocks of stone. Something that shouldn't be there."

They spread out to follow my command and I follow my own orders and start running my gloved hands over the rough hewn stones of the prisons foundation.

About ten minutes later a call of "Boss." Brings my attention to Andrea. She is about thirty feet away from me near the very end of the passageway. I make my way over to her and she shows me the indentation in the stone.

I run my hands over it trying to examine it as best I can in the green light of the NVG world. I cant make out shit.

"Eyes closed people." I order over the radio. I pull my NVG's off my eyes and blink in the absolute darkness. It's worse than a coal mine. I shake off the thought and pull one of my Glocks from its holster and flick on the barrel mounted torch. Once it bright white light illuminates the depression in the stone, I can make out that the impression is actually a carving a snake with its jaws open and its fangs on display.

Suddenly the answer came to me.

"Blood." I whisper to myself. The books talk about blood sacrifice's being the strongest form of protection, so it stands to reason that blood is what holds the wards of the cell door in place.

In the light cast from my torch I bar my forearm and pulling my combat knife from my boot, I open a shallow cut on my arm, and allow the blood to pool on the blade. While I am waiting for enough blood to collect, I turn off the torch and put the pistol back into its holster and then pull my goggles back over my eyes.

"Ok people. You can look again. Lights out." I told them what I had discovered and what I hoped would happen. Everyone concurred that it was the best plan we had so I ordered them to stack up twenty feet from me, just encase something went pear shaped.

Once they were clear, I let the accumulated blood drip of the knife blade and into the mouth of the serpent guarding the door.

As soon as the blood hit its carved mouth, the snake gave a shudder and the wall seemed to explode outwards with a wave of silent force that pushed us all back several steps allowing us to see into a fairly large and well appointed cell. There was light coming from a banked fire and what looked like work benches and a kitchen directly in front of me.

As I entered the room, I lifted my NVG's of away from my eyes as there was enough light to see by. There was a door of to my left and using hand signals two of my team went and investigated it. Before they could get there, it opened to reveal a gaunt man about 6 ft tall with extremely messy black hair that was lightly streaked with grey and glasses.

"Who are you?" he demanded in a rough voice. As he looked at the four of us in the room in disbelief.

"James wha..." a lady that was at least half a foot shorter than the man bumped into his back and he whipped an arm out to prevent her from falling to the ground. Her hair was long with no hint of grey. If I had nothing else to go on, just the colour of the hair and the eyes told me everything I needed to know.

I had found Imogen's parents.

I held my empty hands out to the side. "Lord and Lady Potter, I am Commander Alex Jacobs. My team and I are here to get you the hell out of this place." I told them and Lady Potter burst into tears and buried her face into her husband's neck.

"Thank Merlin." Lord Potter replied to me. His knees went wobbly and he sat down with a thump on the cold stone floor pulling his wife with him.

"We don't have a lot of time." I told him looking at my watch. We had thirty mins to get back topside. "Get what you need and we can go."

"We can't leave." Lord Potter said in a quavering voice. "They have our daughter and only work.." I raise my hand and he trails off.

"Imogen is fine and safe." I reassure them. Both their shoulders sag at the news. They help each other to their feet and head into the bedroom. Five minutes later they come out wearing clothing that had defiantly seen better days.

"Wait." James Potter said as we were about to hustle them out of the room. He gestured to the shelves of books and what looked like potions. "We can't leave these. Dumbledore has forced us to create all of these and we do not want to leave them for him to profit from."

"Do you still have you wands?" I ask and they both nod their heads.

"Yes we need them to conduct our research. Before Dumbledore enters our cell he casts a ward on us that stops us from casting magic." Lily answered.

"Ok, shrink what you can and we can take it with us." As soon as I said that, both Potters began waving their wands over the shelves shrinking everything down until everything fitted into a shoe box that James had transfigured from a candle that was sitting on the bench.

Byers offered to take the shoe box off Lord Potter and he put it into his back pack. "Common Sir, we have to leave." He told them softly. Gently guiding the pair of them out of their cell.

I activate the throat mic. "Mercury, this is 6. Proceeding to extract. Status is green plus two." The message basically translates to us beginning to move to our exit point and the team is all present and accounted for uninjured and that we had two more people than we started with.

"Roger 6, Mercury copies green plus two." Our controller had received my message.

"Double Zero copies moving to extract." The voice of our pilot Lieutenant Commander Jack Webber, who was another Aussie, came over my radio as well. "Hump it 6, you have thirty minutes until we have to bingo."

Basically, the chopper had thirty minutes of endurance left until it needed to head for an airport to refuel.

"6 copies Double Zero." I reply. "We're humping." I switch channels and tell the team to move out. We retrace our steps and proceed up through the levels of Azkaban. On the lower levels there are cries for us to let them out, as well as curses and swearing from some of the more rabid inmates. As we ascended, these shouts got quieter and eventually faded out all together when we reached level seventeen.

I look back at my team as we traverse another corridor. Lord and Lady Potter are being carried on a pair of portable stretchers that we had bought in with us for just this eventuality. Every floor, the stretcher bearers swapped out so that no one would be to tired by the time we reached the top.

We were about just about to start ascending the steps from level twenty four to twenty five when something made me pause. I keyed my mic. "HOLD." I hiss the order and everyone stops dead and quickly moves to the wall and brings their weapons up.

"Mitch, take a peep, Tom back up. Something feels fucked up." I say over the radio.

"Roger 6." Replied the two soldiers as they crept up the stairs using Mitch's mirror to look around the turns on the stairs.

"Six, this is Double Zero we got a problem."

"Boss." Mitch's voice came on the back of my pilots.

"Let my guess, every fucking Dementor on the planet is between us and the roof?"

"And the rest are actually on the fucking roof."

My thoughts move at warp speed. "Zero, time to bingo?" I snap into my mic.

"One- seven mikes Six." Jack responds instantly. I quickly set the countdown timer on my watch for sixteen minutes just to be safe.

"Double Zero break off and return to holding. Stay within half a mile, but keep you fucking eyes peeled." I pause to take a breath. "If they swarm you, use your countermeasures. The fuckers burn like a bonfire."

"Roger 6, returning to half mile holding."

Ok one problem taken care of. I open the tam channel on my radio. "Ok minions listen up. We are going to have to make a break for it. We will lead with napalm grenades followed up by throwers. Stay in a close bunch and provide fire support for each other." I turn to the Potters.

"Lord and Lady Potter, can you walk?" I asked them. I really needed them to be able to make their own way onto the roof. The stretchers took four people out of a team of six. Two of us could not hold off that many Dementors.

Both Potters nod at me and they stand up and pull their wands out. "We can both cast a Patronus Commander." Lady Potter tells me.

"Good, if you need a strong memory, picture the look on Imogen's face when she finally gets a hug from her parents for the first time in a decade." Andrea tells them and both the Potters faces light up with the mental image her words had just put into their minds.

"Ok Tim let's get started."

Thirty seconds later, a series of fiery explosions rocked the top level of Azkaban prison. The flames were clearly visible to the flight crew circling half a mile away.

If it looked impressive from half a mile away, it was fucking bedlam on the inside. Mitch had rolled four of the napalm grenades into the middle of the floor and as soon as they detonated everything within a fifty foot radius was covered in flames that stuck to everything they touched.

Ten seconds after detonation, we moved as a group proceeded by a stag and a doe Patronus that circled our tightly bunched group as we made our way towards the stairs at the other end of the floor.

There were some Dementors that although they were burning, still attempted to grab members of my team as we passed. These were dispatched by either a burst of gun fire or immolated by one of the flame throwers that were adding to the extreme heat and confusion.

After one of the longest minutes of my life, we were ascending the stairs that led to the roof. We kicked open the door and once again, two grenades were rolled out onto the roof of the prison and the whole process repeated itself.

The screaming of the dying Dementors was drowned out by the sound of the approaching helicopter as it hovered over the roof. A few of the Dementors attempted to approach the helo, but were discouraged by a sustained burst of fire from the .50 cal machine guns as well as a stream of flares that spewed from the dispenser at the rear of the helo.

The remaining Dementors decided that enough was enough and as a group the fled the roof as quickly as they had appeared. Jack hovered the chopper a foot off the roof and we sprinted towards the open doors. One by one we clambered into the chopper and as soon as I was aboard I activated my radio.

"GO GO GO." I screamed.

Like a shot, the nose dipped and the deck came up as the pilots applied maximum power to get us as far away from that fucking place as soon as possible.

I hear the co-pilot Adam tell Mercury that we were successful and were returning to Holyhead as soon as we refueled in Edinburgh. I absently look at my watch as I shift to move myself off the deck and onto one of the troop seats that line the centre and rear of the aircraft. I notice that the timer had ten seconds left to go and I smile to myself.

Made it with heaps to spare.

I glance over at the Potters and see that they are snuggled into each other. Lady Potter has tears streaming down her face and they both have a look of disbelief and relief on their faces. I catch Lord Potter's eyes and give him a thumbs up. He gives me a watery smile in response and I turn my attention to the rest of the team.

It seems funny actually, not five minutes after we have left a hot LZ, the team are back to their usual antics when riding on a chopper.

Most of them are asleep and Luke was once again reading his book using a small map light.

I shook my head and closed my eyes letting the adrenalin from the past few hours leave my system.

It was time to sleep.

Today was shaping up to be a fucking massive day...

**Thanks for reading...**

**Well there you go. James and Lily have been rescued. I hope that this chapter lived up to your expectations. And I will admit from the PM's I received, there were quite a number of you eagerly waiting for the scenes in this one.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Cheers**


	10. Chapter 10

**Still not mine...**

**Hello and thanks to all my new readers, reviewers and followers. **

**MASSIVE thanks to **Dreamless-Sleep777 & sfjoellen **who help to fill in the plot holes that you could park a friggin Mack truck in. Cheers guys. **

**Also I am glad that you liked the rescue scene. **

**As always, please review. It helps with the process.**

**Chapter 10...**

"Five minutes Boss." Came over my headset. I double clicked my mike to acknowledge the co-pilots voice. I opened my eyes, stood up from my seat and stretched as much as the cramped interior of the chopper allowed. My spine gave off a satisfying couple of pops and I groaned in bliss at the release of tension in my back.

I may be twenty five again, but I sometimes feel closer to sixty.

I cautiously moved my way forward to stand between the pilots and I look out through the windscreen at the ocean below us. I could see the coastline of Wales approaching in the distance.

I turned back towards the rear of the Black Hawk and made sure that the team was awake and ready to disembark. I looked at the Potters and saw that they were still as wide awake now as they had been since we got them out of Azkaban.

The side doors are opened and the cool early morning air enters the once warm and drowsy cockpit with a vengeance. I turn my head to the left door gunner who was grinning at me and shot him the bird, causing him to outright laugh.

I take a seat on the deck and dangle my legs out the door as the ocean rushes past getting closer as we descend towards the Manor. The water gives way to sand, then grass and then concrete as the pilots flare the nose to slow us down.

I can see a welcoming committee outside the hangar doors that seems to consist of my entire command, all of the Potter elves and of course, the almost glowing red hair of the smallest Potter waiting for to see her parents for the first time in ten years.

The wheels gently touched down and the two gunners are out straight away to chock the main gear as the pilots let the engines cool prior to shutting them down.

I slide out onto the concrete of the apron and turn to help Lord and Lady Potter from the aircraft. As they are stepping out they are swamped by the medical team and two elves that are waving their strange version of a wand over their master and mistress.

Noting that someone is missing, I turn towards the hangar and I instantly spotted the tiny ten year old looking shyly at the concrete in front of her. What I could see of her face was almost as red as her hair. I walk over to her ignoring the Potters – Imogen was my principal, not them – who were getting laid onto stretchers and hustled towards the sick bay.

I stop just in front of Imogen and crouch down in front of her. "What wrong Little One?" I ask her gently.

She just shrugs her shoulders and makes a noncommittal noise in her throat.

I mentally shake my head and reach out my gloved hand to gently raise her head up so I can look into her eyes.

"It me Immie, what's wrong?"

"What if they don't want me?" she whispered, neon green eyes filled with such fear that I immediately pulled the terrified girl into my arms and held her close as she burst into sobs that wracked her whole body. "They told me that no-one would ever want me."

I stood up and slowly rocked her backwards and forwards as softly humming to her as behind me the noise of the black hawks engines died as the pilots shut down the engines. I ignored the team moving past me as I tried to comfort the girl in my arms.

"Imogen, they are fucking assholes who do not deserve to live." I told her

Whoops. I hope she didn't hear that.

I pull her back a bit so I can look into her eyes, and I notice a little smile now amongst the tears. Bugger, she did hear me. "New rule Little One, whatever They told you, I want you to believe the opposite." She rested her forehead against mine.

"Really?" she asked me in a little voice.

"Really, really." I answered. "Look at what you just told me." She looked at me with confusion on her face. "You just said that they told you that no one wanted you." I paused to make sure she understood. "If no one wanted you Immie, then why did I come and get you and bring you home?" I asked her as gently as I could.

Her eyes widen in recognition and she bursts into happy tears this time and then tries to break my neck she is squeezing me so hard. She finally realised that for the first time she can remember, there is someone there for her.

"Ok Little One, do you want to go and meet your mum and dad?" I ask her and she sniffles and nods to me. "Why don't we go via a bathroom and you can wash your face." I suggest as I shift her to my right hip and start to walk towards the admin building.

I thought she would get down and walk herself, but she surprised me by putting her head down on my shoulder and tightening her grip around my neck.

"Thanks Alex." She whispered in my ear and I turned my head and smiled at her. She sniffed and suddenly got a funny look on her face.

"What?" I ask

She giggles and squirms to be let down, shaking her head.

"What?" I ask again as I put her down.

She giggles again and takes a few quick steps away from me. "You stink." She yells out and then turns and runs through the doors laughing.

I stop dumbfounded and then I look down at my combat gear. I was covered in dirt, slime, soot and dried sweat and blood from the inevitable bumps and scratches you always pick up in a combat operation. I inhale through my nose and notice that maybe I do smell a bit ripe.

"Keep running Imogen." I yell out as I follow her through the doors of the admin building. I spot her about fifteen feet in front of me. "I am going to open the biggest can of whoop ass on you when I get my hands on your skinny butt."

"Have to catch me first old man." She yells over her shoulder as she giggles and runs through a door.

I quickly close the distance and open the door that she slammed closed as she went through it, noticing that it is the ladies toilets. I open the door and walk in.

"Alex, this is the girls toilets, you can't be in here." She shrieks at me.

"Oh yes I can Miss Potter." I reply. "You are forgetting one important fact." I made sure that I was as unthreatening as possible as I walked towards her. I didn't want a Dursley flash back.

"Oh yeah what's that old man?" she giggled again and backed towards the sink.

I smiled at her. "This is My base. I can go wherever I want." I finished with the stereo typical evil laugh as I rubbed my hands together. "Also, you just ran into a room with only one way in or out."

"Shit." She said when she realised what she had done. Then she blushed almost the same colour as her hair when she realised what she had said.

I just raised an eyebrow at her cursing. "Give up?" I asked with a smile and she nods at me, then squeals as I grab her and start tickling her ribs.

"You cheater!" she yells between squeals and laughter. "And you still stink." I let her go with a smile on my face, glad that I had managed to make her smile again.

"I'll wait outside Little One." I tell her. "Wash your face and then I'll take you to see your mum and dad ok?"

"Ok." She nods and I leave the room as she turns to the sink and starts running the tap.

Five minutes later I am walking along the main passage way that leads towards the sick bay in the administration block. Imogen has a death grip on my hand as she walks beside me. We get to the door and I do not give her time to back out. I just push the door open and lead her inside the room.

There are twenty beds lined up against the walls with ten on each side. In between each bed is a large window that either looks towards the ocean or the forest that borders one side of the property. There is a cluster of medical staff standing at the foot of a pair of beds while two elves run their strange tree root type foci over the adult Potters.

I also notice that there is a portrait that was currently occupied by Charlus and Dorea in between the two beds.

As we walk in, Lily – who is closest to the door, turns her head to look in our direction. She gasps and as quickly as she can sits up and holds out her arms towards us.

"Immie?" she softly calls out. And tears start streaming down her cheeks.

"Mummy." Imogen whispers, then pulls her had free and races towards her mother. Quickly closing the distance she launches herself into her mother's arms sobbing her heart out as she experiences the first hug from her mother in ten years.

I look over at Lord Potter and he is quickly getting out of his bed to join his wife and daughter in a family hug. They are totally oblivious to our presence. I snap my fingers and several of the staff look towards me. I pat myself on the head signalling for them to join me and with a last look to the Potters, I leave the room with the rest of them following me.

When we are all out in the corridor I turn to Lieutenant Commander Johnston who is our doctor. "Doc, give em some space." I said to him. "They haven't seen each other in ten years." I turn to head towards the ready room. "Give me a holler if they want to speak to me."

"Yes Boss." Answered the Doctor before he turned and gave his staff their instructions before they returned to their office.

I entered the ready room to find that I was the last one in there and the rest of the team were already cleaning their weapons and other equipment. I put my weapons onto one of the tables and went to my ready locker and pulled out a cleaning kit that I would need. I returned to my table and proceeded to strip and clean my weapons and tactical gear.

While I doing this, the rest of the team were conducting their own informal debrief as they worked. This had become a sort of tradition between the six of us and helped us to focus our minds for the formal debrief that would be taking place as soon as we had cleaned up.

There was a pop beside me and Zoe appeared with a tray of sandwiches and another of soft drinks floating beside her.

"Master Alex, I is thinking that you and yours peoples would be hungry." She piped in her high pitched voice.

"You are the best Zoe, thanks." I replied to her. She blushed under my thanks and floated the food to an empty table in the corner. The rest of the team thanked the elf before she popped out. I headed over to the table and grabbed a can of coke and a chicken sandwich off the platters taking them back to my table to continue cleaning and reassembling my gear.

"What happens now Boss?" Mitch asked me in his thick Texan accent. "We rescued the Potters, we can't go home as no one in this dimension knows us. So what are the sixty of us going to do?"

The other four members of my team all stopped what they were doing and looked at me expectantly.

"The Potters own the Four Seasons hotel chain," I paused as there was a gasp from Keila. I smiled at her. "I had the same reaction." I looked at my team. "As soon as the Potters are healthy enough, we are going to be taking them to their resort on Bora Bora." Now there were quite a few smiles around the table.

"There is an old law the Dumbles put in place that says that all magical children that were born in the UK have to attend Hogwarts, or their parents face jail time and loss of half their fortunes." I paused as several of the team made sounds of disbelief.

When they had silenced themselves I continued. "There is a loop hole that allows a twelve month delay in the child attending the school, so we now have thirteen and a half months to get Imogen better."

I pause and take a breath before continuing. "I plan on taking her to the island for that time so that she can recover without having to look over her shoulder and just enjoy being a ten year old girl."

"We are the ones looking Boss?" Tom asked me and I nodded an affirmative.

"I had basically planned this before I knew that her parents or you lot would be joining me so I am going to have to change things around a bit." I admitted. "The six of us will remain with the Potters. I will have to think about the helo. Maybe the elves can help there."

I pause and notice that Tim and Andrea are taking notes. I nod my thanks to them. I start to pace as I continue to think out loud while the others finish cleaning their kit and just sit and listen. They know me well enough to know that I will want their opinions once I have finished brain storming.

"I will keep the ops and medical teams as well as a small security team here at the manor, but I am thinking about having the others act as a type of snatch and grab team." I pause and take a mouthful of my drink.

"We need to find out what is different in this dimension from the books. We need intel on Dumbles and his associates." I look around and everyone now is taking notes.

"Boss?" Corporal Luke Byers our resident Canadian and the youngest member of our team interrupts. I look at him and gesture for him to continue. "Let's be honest, the security team are almost as good as we are when it comes to it. We have used them several times to bulk our numbers up on bigger missions and also to replace individuals on this team when one of us was injured." He looked around at all of us and then continued expanding on his idea.

"Why not make them into two additional teams. According to the books, Fudge is as corrupt as they come. When Lord and Lady Potter are up to it, get them to invite him over and explain to him what happened to them in broad terms. Don't mention Dumbles name, get them to say that they never saw their captors or even the location."

He paused and I realised that he was still formulating his idea. After a minute of silence he looked up and continued. "They were rescued by the Potter House elves and they have hired hit wizards that work in the muggle world to protect themselves from their captors who are still at large and unknown. It would be prudent for the Minister of Magic to have the same type of protection." He trailed off and looked at me.

"Don't stop now Luke." I told him. "I will be honest with you. I have no fucking idea what I am going to do with everyone once we fuck off to the island for a year."

I didn't worry about swearing in front of the girls. For one, they had heard it and worse from me before, and two, they both swore worse than I did.

"If he accepts, which he probably will, if the Potters offer to pay for them as a 'donation to ensure the security of Wizarding Britain'." He made the trusty air quotes and several of us grinned at him. "We rotate the teams and between them, they will be able to find out just about everything that is currently happening in the Wizarding world at this time."

"Fuck yeah." Andrea breaths. "Boss this is great. And because we are not really wizards even though we have some magical abilities, we can sware magical oaths not to divulge anything we hear and we can't be penalised for it, so they can return at the end of their on week and give the info gathered to the intel group who can collate everything and then we can decide where to go from there..."

She broke off as there was a shimmer in the air and the three Fates appeared in front of us. As one we all stood up and bowed to the immortals.

"_Andrea and Luke are correct AJ." _Clotho tells me. _"This way you will be able to gather the information that you require but are unable to ask for from us."_

I give both of them a thumbs up and Lachesis continues. _"We will place a compulsion onto the Minister to agree with Lord Potters suggestion which will allow your men and women easier access to the ministry."_

"Mam, what about Umbridge?" Mitch asked. "According to the books, she is an evil bitch who has the ear of the Minister. If anything, she will make it almost impossible for us to integrate."

I have an idea about that, so I look into Clotho's eyes and allow her to pull it straight out of my mind.

"_Yes you may Alex."_ She said to the room. _"Her Thread is unimportant in the larger scheme of this dimension."_

I bow my head to her. "It will be done My Lady." I say to her.

"_You must find out all you can about Dumbledore."_ Atopos broke her silence. _"He has the power to destroy all you are trying to achieve here. Be wary of him, his Thread cannot be cut until the appropriate time." _

The three Fates join hands. _"Be well."_ Clotho said to us as they vanished.

The others look at each other. "Wow, that was intense." Keila said in astonishment. "Did you feel the power coming off them? It was way higher than when we were in limbo with them."

The others nodded in agreement. I look at my team XO and he nods. "I'll take care of it tonight Boss." He turns to Tom. "You up for some spotting?" he asks the Corporal from Liverpool.

"Yes sir." Was the enthusiastic answer.

"Jason." I call out and the little elf appears in front of.

"Yes Master Alex?" he enquired. I gesture towards Staff Sergeant Mitchell and Jason turns his gaze towards him.

"Jason can you find out where Deloris Umbridge lives and then take Tom and I there tonight and then bring us home after we take care of some things with her?" he asks the little elf who nods enthusiastically.

"Jason cans Master Tim." He started bouncing on his toes. "Master Tim is you going to be shooting hers?"

Tim and I share a look and I just shrug my shoulders at him. He turns back to Jason.

"That's the plan." He replied to the elf. "Why? Is this a problem?"

"Oh no Master Tim." Jason's ears droop with the thought that he has said something wrong. "Just she is ones who has being trying to gets elves instead of punished gets them killeds." He broke off with a shudder. "Jason be very happy that he cans help get rid of evil lady. I go and find her nows." Before we could say anything, he had disappeared with a pop.

The six of us look at each other and burst out in laughter at the enthusiastic elf. I stood up and put away my cleaning products, reload my guns and put the pistols back into their holsters and the Styer back into its gun case on the wall along with my helmet and NVG's.

There was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal a Captain and a Sergeant from the operations and intel section, as well as the flight crew from the helo.

"Are you read for the debrief Boss?" the Captain asked. I wave them in and the team resumes their seats and we begin the tedious but necessary review of everything we did from the time we took off until the time we landed.

###

Just as we were wrapping up our debriefing the door opened and Imogen entered the room. She looked around and when she spotted me, she walked over and climbed onto my lap. I ignored the sniggers coming from the peanut gallery and turned my attention to the Potter Heir.

"What up Little One?" I ask her as she snuggles down in my arms.

"Mummy and Daddy want to see all of you to say thank you for rescuing them." She sits up and then hops of my lap and walks to the front of the room and then turns to face everyone. "I I I." She stutters, blushes and then looks at her feet. I want to go and help her but I realise that this is something that she has to do for herself.

She takes a deep breath and then lifts her face to look at all of us once again. "I would like to say thank you to all of you for bringing my mum and dad home to me." She finished her little speech, squeaked and then bolted out of the room.

To everyone's credit we waited until the door had fully closed before we laughed at her exit.

Thank god the door was sound proofed.

Ten minutes later we had finished the debrief and everyone got up and left the room heading towards the sick bay. When we entered the room I noticed that Imogen was perched on her Mums bed with Lily's arm wrapped around her.

When she saw us enter Imogen jumped off the bed and ran over to me. She grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the space between her parents bed. Charlus smirks at me from his portrait and Dorea smacks him on the back of the head.

"Mummy and Daddy, I would like you to meet Commander Alex Jacobs and his team." She paused and took a breath. "Alex, this is my mum and dad Lord James and Lady Lily Potter."

I come to attention and bow to the Potters. "Lord and Lady Potter" I say to them. "Allow me to introduce my team to you. I went around and introduced everyone to James and Lily. Once they had thanked us several times, the team made excuses and left the sick bay. I was about to leave as well when Lord Potter asked me to stay behind.

Cody popped in with a tea service and a can of coke for me. I thanked the little elf and she smiled at me and popped out again. I grabbed a chair from between another pair of beds and sat down in between the adult Potters.

"Commander." James started. And I held up a hand.

"Its Alex or AJ My Lord." I told him and he nodded in understanding.

"Alex." He started again. "Thank you again for getting us out of their and more importantly, Imogen has told us a little of what she went through with my Sister in law and her husband." The last title was hissed and I was not surprised at the venom and hatred that dripped of it as well. "She has also informed us of how you and your men came to be in this dimension and why" He paused and I nodded at him.

"There is nothing I can say, do or pay that will allow me to express how grateful we are that you got our daughter out of there." There were tears in both of the adult's eyes by the time that Lord Potter had finished.

I was not going to just wave their thanks off as that would come across as rude. "Lord and Lady Potter, it was my pleasure to be able to help Imogen and her parents out." I decided that I may as well fill them in on my plans for the next year or so especially considering that they were to play a rather large part of those plans to save this dimension.

"Alex, after what you and you people have done for my family, there is no Lord and Lady Potter." Lily spoke up for the first time reaching out to put a hand on my shoulder. "You of all people have earned the right to call us Lily and James." She smiled at me and I could easily see the beauty that Imogen was going to be in a few years.

Thank god I carry guns.

I agree with them and I take a mouthful of my drink before I launch into what my team and I had planned for them.

###

Two hours later just as I had finished laying it all out for both the living and the painted Potters, who had been listening avidly, there were several pops and Cody as well as Ziggy, Tiggy, Diggy and Zoe popped into the sick bay.

"Lord and Lady Potter, we have bought your lunches." Cody piped in her high pitched voice.

Lunch? I think to myself looking at my watch. Sure enough it was 1300. Fuck me I thought it was at least almost 1700. Fucking long ass days.

"Thank you Cody." Lily said turning to the other elves. "It is good to see you all again. As soon as we are out of here, we will call all of you for a meeting to reavow the family bonding with each of you ok?"

The five elves were practically vibrating with excitement. As one they bowed and popped out to no doubt spread the word to the other elves.

While we were eating, both Lord Potters asked clarifying questions about my plan for their family. I told them that at the end of the day, my job was to protect Imogen and anything else was just a bonus.

That got me a smile and a kiss on the cheek from the littlest Potter and smiles from the four adult Potters.

"Alex, I only have one thing that I would change to the plan." James said to me after he had sat back and thought about what had been suggested.

"Instead of the Minister coming here to the Manor as I do not want anyone to know our location, I would propose that we go to the ministry." He paused and I nodded for him to continue. "If we go there, everyone will know that we are alive. This means that Dumbles will not be able to obliviate this information from everyone. There would be too many witnesses. We would take Imogen with us for the same reason."

I nod my head. This makes sense. Hide in plain sight. The fact that they do not tell anyone that Dumbles was their captor, will give the old man pause and make him wonder why they have not dropped the hammer on him. The fact that the Potters are also out and about will limit any action that he may try against them. And if it doesn't, well that is why my team will be with them every time they step out into public.

This bought me to the first of several questions that I wanted to ask them. Namely, why did Dumbles imprison them and keep them alive? Why were they not affected by the Dementors?

James shared a sad smile with his wife and the two of them went on to explain that Dumbles had heard a prophesy that said that Imogen would be the one to defeat the Dark Lord.

**(AN – no I'm not going to repeat it, we all know what it is.)**

He was worried that the prophesy would be about him rather than Voldemort so he decided to take James and Lily out of the picture. He decided to keep them alive as he needed access to the potions and spell crafting that the adult Potters were renown for.

He used Imogen's life to ensure that they co-operated with him and he had planned when Imogen was older, if she ever tried to turn against him, he would do the reverse to her. Use her parents to ensure she complied with his desires. He also wanted the Potter fortune as Charlus had explained to me.

When I asked why he needed Lily to brew the potions when he had Snape, they both burst into laughter. When they had both calmed down, Lily explained to me that Snape was one of the worst potioneer's in Britain. The three reasons that Dumbles kept him at Hogwarts was to spy on Voldemort, limit the number of Aurors and Healers and to keep his favourite bed warmer out of prison because he used to be a Death Eater.

My surprise must have shown because Lily elaborated. "Oh yes." She said with a giggle. "Severus has only an ability to cast half a dozen dark curses including the unforgivables. That is the extent of his magical powers. He became Dumbles bed warmer in his second year. That is the main reason that he keeps him around and out of prison for the crimes he committed as a Death Eater."

After they had gotten their laughter under control, they went on the explain that Dumbles kept the Dementors away from the lower levels of the prison as he did not want them to affect the Potters. He was the only one to know that they were in Azkaban and their food and drinks appeared in their cell at the appropriate times every day.

The Doctor came in then and insisted that I leave the Potters to get their rest. I nodded and held out my hand to Imogen, who after kissing and hugging her parents came over and took my hand.

"Doc, how long until they are ready to travel?" I asked before we left.

He thought about if for a few seconds. "Two days." He replied. There is really nothing wrong with them, just exhaustion and a slight imbalance in their vitamin D levels from a lack of sunlight for a decade. Give me two days and then you can take them to their island." He finished a bit wistfully.

"Don't worry Doc." I said clapping him on the shoulder. "They will need checkups at least once a week or so." I ignore the beaming smile on his face as I lead Imogen out of the sickbay.

Just before we leave the admin building, I stick my head into Mercury and tell them that I want an all hands meeting in the auditorium straight after PT at 0900 tomorrow morning. I grab the set of keys that were thrown at me by one of the staff as we leave the opps room and I lead Imogen to the Hummer that is parked just outside the main doors.

Imogen's eyes almost pop out of her head when she sees the fifty cal on the roll bar. "Is this yours Alex?" she asks me.

I smile at her and puff my chest out. "Of course it is Miss Potter." I tell her pompously. "I am the boss. Of course I have my own car."

She giggles at me and I decide that instead of going straight back to the manor, I would go for a cruise around the perimeter to check out the roads that the elves had built for me. I also decided that I wanted to check out the private beach that was on the property as well.

**Thanks for reading...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Still not mine...**

**Hello and thanks to all my new readers, reviewers and followers. **

**As usual, thanks to **Dreamless-Sleep777 & sfjoellen**. Cheers guys. **

**I admit to being a bit concerned about how chapter 10 would go after the big scene in chapter 9. Thank god you lot liked it. **

**As always, please review. It helps with the process.**

**Chapter 11...**

I was awakened by the soft pop of an elf appearing in my room. I dislodged a small foot from my kidneys, opened my eyes and came face to face with Zoe who was smiling at me and holding a large mug of tea.

"Good morning Master Alex, it being six o'clock." I nodded and smiled my thanks at the little elf, who beamed at me and then popped out of the room.

I sat up and cast a glance over to my principal who had at some time during the night climbed into bed with me. Currently she was sprawled over three quarters of the queen sized mattress causing me to shake my head. How can someone so small, take up so much friggin room? I grumbled to myself, finished the tea in several large swallows and moved towards my wardrobe.

I grab my uniform and head into the bathroom to begin my morning routine. Thirty minutes later, after calling Zoe and informing her of where I was going to be. I am heading down towards the back entrance to the manor where I had parked the hummer last night.

As I drove the mile or so to the base, I started going over the agenda for the all hands meeting I had called for later on this morning. I was going to be laying out the plan for the next two or so years and I needed to get it firmly set in my mind before I presented it to everyone else.

A few minutes later I had arrived at the front of the admin building and I headed inside. As I was about to enter Mercury – the opps room in case some of you have forgotten, I suddenly remembered that I had an office and sleeping quarters here, and if that was the case, then all of my stuff that I had in Afghanistan would be there.

Score.

Saying that I took the stairs up to the second floor and through my PA's office and headed to my office that looked out east over the flight line and instead of desert, it looked towards the fields on the other side of the Potter boundary fence. The Irish Sea was visible only a short distance away to my left. I noticed a few heads bobbing in the early morning light and realised that a few of the braver souls were having a swim in the bay.

Idiots. The friggin sun wasn't even up properly. Way to friggin cold.

I walk through the office and into my bedroom sighing in relief when I see my Note 2 and Ipad on the bedside table.

I know that the internet hasn't been invented yet and obviously smart phone are years away, but honestly, I need my music. One really friggin weird thing is that the Fates have made it so everything that came to this dimension worked the same as it did in our old world.

Go figure. We have mobile phone and satellite radio coverage. Email and plasma TV's. The kicker is that we are the only ones with this technology, so we can only email others in the unit. But that is ok. We don't know anyone else here yet, but the guys who were used to looking at internet porn will be humped for a few years.

Whoops. Did I just say that?

Sorry.

That reminds me.

No not porn, get your minds out of the gutter.

Fuck yeah, will be investing in Apple and Samsung before we head to the island. I know it's probably unethical, but bugger it. This will make up for the fact that I can't watch a Tri Nations Rugby Union match without knowing who one for the next twenty odd years.

Thank god I'm in the Northern hemisphere. They have a different competition so I won't go totally out of my friggin mind.

I grab my note 2 and take it into my office and set it up in its doc next to my computer. I turn it on and once it was ready, I flicked the music player on random, turned the volume up as loud as it would go, sat back in my swivel chair, closed my eyes and relaxed as the heavy double kick of Fear Factory's Self Bias Resistor echoed through my office.

Hmmm happy place.

After a few minutes I open my eyes and flick on my computer. Once it had loaded, I spent the next hour typing out an operations order for the unit that included my plans for the next two years. This was just the first draft that I would present to the unit this morning, and in keeping with a policy that I had implemented when I took over the unit eighteen months earlier, it would be posted on the main notice board with a few blank sheets of A3 paper around it for everyone to have the opportunity to add to or suggest changes to it.

Once the week had finished, it was taken down and my command team and I would go through all of the suggested amendments and either incorporate or discard them. Once we were happy with the second draft, another all hands meeting was called and we spent a few hours going through the finished opps order.

To the best of my knowledge, I was the only Commanding Officer to ever do this. I did it for the simple reason that I am far from omnipotent and I fuck things up occasionally, I also know that I am not the only one who has ideas and opinions.

Once I had finished, I glanced at the clock on my screen and noticed that it was approaching quarter to eight. I smiled as I realised that I would have plenty of time for a run and another shower before the meeting at 0900. I emailed the order to Mercury and stood up and walked through the adjourning door and into my bedroom and changed into my work out gear. I grabbed my headphones and headed back into my office. Grabbing my note from its dock, I plugged the headphones in and headed out into the crisp morning air to begin my run.

###

"Attention on deck." My unit XO and the Operations Officer Major Lukas Piper called out to the assembled unit as I walked into the room. I moved up to the stage and nodded to everyone.

"As you were people." I called and I organised my notes on the lectern while I waited for everyone to take their seats and settle down. "Ok you lot" I began as I stepped away from the lectern and started pacing the stage. There were fifty eight pairs of eyes watching me – one of the Medics was in the hospital keeping an eye on the Potters.

I glanced up to the right of the stage to the large portrait and I noticed that it was full as well with the former heads of the Potter household listening in as well. I nodded to them and turned my attention back to the troops.

Just as I was about to begin, the doors to the briefing room opened and the three Potters closely followed by the medic entered. I called the room to attention and everyone jumped to their feet. Cody popped in and conjured three seats just beside the door for her Master and Mistresses, then popped out. James just waved at me to ignore them and continue. I nodded at him and once the Potters were seated I motioned everyone back to their seats and just as I was about to begin for the second time, there was a shimmering in the air next to the Potters and the tree Fates appeared.

This time I didn't have to say anything as the entire room jumped to their feet and stood at attention as I turned to the three immortals and bowed to them. "My Ladies, Lord and Lady Potter, good morning." I winked at Imogen as I returned upright and she smiled and waved shyly at me.

I turned back to face my unit. "Okay, for the third time, let's get this done." There were few chuckles from the room. I resumed my pacing and started my brief. "Ok you have been here for a few days and we are all settled. We managed to pull the Potters out of Azkaban with no loses or injuries to anyone, so well done people."

I paused as they applauded themselves.

"Now today is all about what the fuck we are going." I stopped as I realised what I had just said. "Sorry Imogen, Lady Potter." There was a wave of laughter as Lily smiled and waved off my apology.

"Sware Jar Alex." Imogen piped up from her spot in between her parents and once again laughter erupted from the assembled soldiers.

I swept the room with my version of stink eye. "If I have to so you the rest of you lot." I told them and the laughter stopped to be replaced with nods of agreement.

"Ok let's try this again." I continued with my briefing. "Today is all about the next twelve or so months. I have spoken to Lord and Lady Potter about this plan and they are in agreeance with me on this. However the usual rules for ops orders are in effect and it will be on the wall for a week."

I spent the next three hours telling my team about the Hogwarts attendance law that Dumbles had passed and how we were going to take the twelve month grace period to get Imogen healthy and the Potters as a family reacquainted with each other. I turned to Lord Potter and he gave me a nod of agreement.

I told them about the Potters owning the hotel on Bora Bora and that we would be taking them there for a year. I got rid of the sad faces when I told them that everyone would be rotating through for at least a week a time for the duration to assist with the protection detail.

That as you could imagine cheered everyone up. I had just guaranteed everyone an all expenses paid holiday to one of the best places on the planet for at least a week. I then went on to explain my plan to create two new teams to provide security for the Minister of Magic so that it would allow us to keep on top of what was happening in the magical would.

I reiterated to them, that while we had all read the books, and seen the movies, there were still differences between them and this reality and so we needed the heads up if we were going to succeed in over throwing both Dumbledore and Voldemort.

I noticed a raised hand and I nodded to one of the aircraft maintainers who was a self confessed Potter nut back in our home dimension. "Boss what about Umbridge? There is no way in hell she will allow us into the ministry to protect Fudge."

I nodded at her question and turned to Mitch. He nodded at me and I smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

"As of last night, there is no longer an issue there." I paused to make sure that everyone got the PG 13 message. There were a series of nods and smiles from the room. Allison smiled and sat back in her seat and I continued on.

"Team one will continue to protect the Potters. We will be broken down into three sub teams protecting one person each. Myself and Corporal Ben-Asher will be Imogen's principal team." I paused and made eye contact with Keila. She nodded and smiled brightly at me.

"Staff Sergeant Mitchell and Corporal Byers will be looking after Lord Potter, which leaves Sergeant Smith and Corporal Corcoran will be looking after Lady Potter." My team mates gave me thumbs up to show they understood.

I then detailed out the new team two and team three assignments and promoted the soldiers I had selected to be promoted to Lieutenant to act as the Team Leaders of the new teams. I then detailed the senior Sergeants in each squad as the 2 I/C. The twelve selected personnel beamed at me. There was a round of applause from the assembled soldiers to congratulate the new promotions. I nodded at them as a group and turned to the other six who had not been selected for ministry duties.

"I haven't forgotten you lot either. You will be known as Team four and will be our tactical support. From now on we are going to be constantly on the go, if we have a contact, it will be your job to get to us as soon as possible. We can all now apparate, so you will be able to support us properly. You will also be the deployment team for hostage rescue. As such you will increase your training in fast rope insertions and in the kill house." As before, I promoted a new team leader and 2 I/C causing more applause.

I paused to take a breath and the newly formed team four beamed at me. Before I could continue Clotho drifted up to the stage.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen." She looked around at everyone. "The reason that we have come here this morning is to inform you that your presence in this dimension is now known by the head of UNTAC."

She stopped as a wave of shocked murmuring swept the auditorium. She held up a hand and there was instant silence. "General Emerson is a squib who was disowned and kicked out of his family when he did not receive his Hogwarts letter on his eleventh birthday. He was sent to an orphanage and ran away from there when he was fifteen and subsequently joined the Army. "

That revelation caused a few grumbles amongst the boys and girls. One of the things that my people hated was bullying and or discrimination. I could see that I was going to have to remind everyone that this mentality – whilst abhorrent – was the preeminent mind set of most of the Ministry of Magic. They were going to have to remember to ignore what they saw for the time being, knowing that eventually it would be dealt with.

She ignored the mutterings and continued.

"He will not interfere with how you operate here, however." Here she turned to face me. "If you need more equipment or personnel, he will be able to assist you." I nodded my acknowledgement to her and she turned to face the still shocked faces before her.

"In this dimension, there is only one UNTAC unit and they are attached directly to the UN Headquarters in New York. Their job is to protect the delegates or their weapons inspection teams when they go into a hostile country. Your team are going to be the European arm of this service."

She paused to allow this knowledge to sink in.

"We appeared before him and explained your mission in this dimension. He is keen to visit here eventually to meet with all of you. But now you officially have cover for your existence in this dimension, so you can continue to wear your uniforms without fear of discovery."

"The story that is being circulated is that Holy Head is going to be the base for a new United Nations anti-terrorism force that will operate throughout the UK and some parts of Europe if required."

"Do not forget, you may actually be called upon for a real emergency." She told the room sternly.

This caused the newly minted Team four to puff up slightly now that they knew for a fact that they will be involved, not just a reserve force.

"The Potter lands were chosen to host the force, as Lord Charlus Potter was a patron of the UN and offered the land for the trial."

I looked at the portrait in surprise and said Lord Potter smirked at me from the timber frame.

She went on about how the non-magicals of the UK would accept this, the local shop owners of Holy Head would benefit from the increase in patronage from the soldiers, as well as it gave them a military presence in the area that they had never had. The fact that it was a UN hostage rescue team added to the mystique.

The revelation did give me a fair bit of relief. The intervention of the Fates with regards to General Emerson made or existence here in this dimension legitimate as far as the non magical world was concerned. It would only have been a matter of time before the existence of a Black Hawk and a paramilitary force on the moors of Holy Head drew unwanted attention and we would have been exposed.

Not too many civilian companies can afford a highly modified Blackhawk.

I tuned back into what Clotho was saying as she turned back to me. "If General Emerson gives you more personnel, you are to call for one of us when they arrive and we will brief them on what you and your people are trying to achieve."

If they agree, they will be granted similar abilities to what you all were given before you arrived in this dimension. Because of this, it would be advisable to gather the people you need in groups rather than individuals, as this makes the explanation and acceptance process easy on the selected people."

"And if they refuse?" I ask and she nods.

"If a person decides that they do not wish to join with us, their memories will be altered so that they forget about meeting any of us and will go back to the lives they were fated to live from when their Threads were spun out."

I smiled and thanked her as she turned to her sisters. "It is time for us to go. Be well." And with that the three of them faded from sight.

Once they had disappeared, I gave everyone a few minutes to process what they had just learnt. While I was waiting, I walked over to Lord and Lady Potter and asked if there was anything that they wanted to address with regards to us setting up shop on a half a square kilometre of their land.

I smiled and said good morning to Imogen who was sitting in between her parents. She jumped up and gave me a hug, then returned to her seat.

Lord Potter stood up. "I believe that we have a few words for your troops Alex." He said. I gestured and the three of them followed me up onto the stage. As soon as I looked up, the room became quiet. I turned to Lord Potter and he stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"On behalf of Imogen, Lily and myself, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to all of you for saving my family and allowing us to reunite. The Potter family are in your debt until such time as you move onto your next dimension." His voice was strong and carried to the corners of the room. There was a flash of light and Lady Potter stepped forward to explain that the light was magic excepting the Pledge that her husband had just made.

James went on to tell us that they fully supported my plan to undermine the British Ministry of Magic and abolish the pure blood dogma. After having being under the 'care'."

He used the air quote marks which caused a bit of sniggering from his audience.

"Of the supposed Leader of the Light, I want to bury the mother fucker for what he did to my family." Here he paused to take a breath and made eye contact with several of the troops before continuing. "With the help of everyone in this room, I intend to do just that."

A surge of applause came from the assembled soldiers at Lord Potter's words. He held up his hands to quiet them down and after a few seconds the room was quiet again. "As far as wages go, I have decided to pay you double what you were earning in your old dimension. Although you are still technically working for the United Nations, as far as my family and I are concerned, you now work for the Potters."

Another surge of applause greeted this announcement. If I had to be honest, I had heard from a few of the department heads that several of their soldiers had asked them about how they would pay for things here. Lord Potter's speech had alleviated that concern.

"I will leave you now to Commander Jacobs." He told the crowd, once they had settled down. I believe that we will be heading to the Ministry in the next two days to convince the Minister of the necessity to take on extra security after what happened to his Senior Undersecretary."

"In between that and when we head to the island, I plan to meet up with all of you individually. I like to know the names of the people that I have working for me." With that, he guided his family off the stage and towards the door.

"On your feet." The RSM bellowed. Once the Potters had left the room he waved for everyone to retake their seats.

"Ok people." I said once everyone was settled again. "I want to see the Command team and the new team leaders in my office at 1400. We have to sort out the next couple of days." I paused and looked around. "Any questions?" I pause before continuing. "Ok bugger off you lot. Team one, I need you to stick around for a minute." I sat down on the edge of the stage while everyone left the room. One by one, the five remaining members of Team one came up and sat in the front row. Once they were assembled I made eye contact with each of them and began to give them their orders.

"Lord Potter has pretty much told me that he doesn't want us following him around the manor or grounds twenty – four seven." I paused to take a breath. "After talking to the former Lord Potter, he explained that now that there is a sitting Lord Potter in residence the wards are pretty much impossible to breach from a magical attack."

There were nods from my five team mates.

"The ability to apparate that the Fates have given us lets us go anywhere we want in seconds, and wards do not stop us. Also, if we are holding someone, then they will go where ever we do. What I proposed to Lord Potter and he agreed, is that he cast a combination tracking, monitoring and emergency port key charm on a piece of jewellery that the three of them will wear at all times."

"The tracking charm will allow us to apparate directly to them if they are trouble. We just have to concentrate of finding them and magic will do the rest. The port key charm is dual activated. Either a password or if the wearer is knocked unconscious will set it off and deposit them straight into the back corner of Mercury. Another feature is that if one port key is activated, all three will fire."

"When they leave the manor grounds, we will be with them. When Imogen goes to Hogwarts next year, Keila and I will be accompanying her and we will be staying there all year. You guys." I nodded at the other four team members. "Will be wherever your principals go. Once the threat has been dealt with, we will re-evaluate the security requirement."

They nodded at me and there was a few seconds of silence as they contemplated their jobs for the next year or so.

After a few minutes Mitch spoke up. "Boss, what clothing and weapons load out?" he asked softly.

I answered straight away as I had already given this issue quite a bit of thought. "If they are going magical, then full tactical. We want to scare the fuck out of everyone and to make them think twice about taking a shot at either yourselves or your principals."

"I they are going non- magical, then just civvies. Side arms and radios only." The two sub teams that were going to be looking at the adult Potters nodded and I turned to Ben-Asher. "Sorry kiddo, we get shafted. We are going to be pretty much full tactical the entire time."

Keila just smiled her usual heart stopping smile at me. "No worries Boss." She looked at the rest of the team then smirked before continuing. "Can we wear our face masks?"

This question caused the other team members including me to laugh. A few months ago, Keila had gone and purchased the six of us face masks that fitted under our goggles and covered our entire lower face, and wrapped around to our necks. They provided great protection from the almost constant dust that blew through out Afghanistan.

They were covered with the lower face of a skeleton and I have to admit, they looked pretty friggin cool. But more importantly, they also usually made hostage takers pause and take a second look to make sure that they are not really seeing ghosts.

That few seconds of hesitation, that they spent gaping stupidly at us, gave us an advantage as while they were fucking around trying to tell themselves that they were not really seeing what was right in front of them, we took that opportunity to double tap the bastards.

One thing that we did find out though is that while adults got the shit scared out of them when they saw us coming towards them, kids on the other hand thought they looked fucking awesome and loved them.

This is the exact image that I wanted Keila and I to portray when we went to Hogwarts. We wanted the kids to trust us, but we also wanted the adults to be cautious.

"Of course we will be wearing them." I told her with a smile. I turned to the other four. "This includes you lot as well." I told them and they nodded. "Ok for now, we'll just keep doing what we are doing. I want you all to spend time getting to know your principals." I finished off closing my note book and standing up. They followed suit and as a group we left the auditorium and headed to the galley for lunch.

Unlike normal military bases, we did not separate by ranks to eat. We all ate in a communal dining room, and relaxed in an all ranks mess that had enough lounge chairs and seats to fit all of us and quite a number of guests as well.

Once I had completed my ham and salad roll and a glass of OJ – thank god for the elves, we didn't have any chefs with us in the sandpit. We always ate at the base mess hall. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 1330. I had half an hour before I had the meeting with the command team.

I took the opportunity to head up to my office and work on the mountain of paperwork that seemed to come with a military organisation. I could not believe that the friggin paper work followed me into the new dimension. And now that we were here officially, that paperwork was going to continue.

Before I knew it, there was a knock on my door. I looked up and saw the head of Regimental Sargent Major Tim Blackwell. The RSM is the senior non-commissioned officer in a unit. He is basically the chief ass kicker and mover and shaker. He answers to no one in the unit other than the Commanding Officer.

Tim was also the guy that took me under his wing when I first joined the SAS. When I was asked to transfer to UNTAC, I asked my recruiter if Tim could be considered. He was and the rest is history. When I was given command of Team four, I asked Tim if he would become my RSM and he accepted.

I waved them in and they took their seats at the conference table that was situated in the corner of my office. Once they were seated I spent the next two hours laying out the fine details of what I expected of them for the next fourteen months. I had given the troops a broad overview. Now I took the time to give the commanders the exacting details that they needed to carry out the objectives that I had laid out. It was up to them to meet with their individual departments and teams to go over this fine detail with them.

Basically, we were going to let first year play out however it would. We knew from the books that the philosopher's stone should be in the castle this year. With no Imogen Potter in the castle, the supposed Leader of the Light would have to come up with another way to stop Voldemort from gaining the stone. We also had a pretty good idea that Malfoy would put the Diary into Ginny Weasly's cauldron next summer. If the students started becoming petrified, then we could start to act to cut Dumbledore off at the throat.

Once we were sure that the diary was in play, we would then be free to take out Malfoy. If necessary, we would wipe out the entire Malfoy line. We would not allow Death Eaters to gain a toe hold in magical Britain.

We were going to use Lord Potter to start putting pressure on the Minister to act. If Fudge tried to bluster and say that there was nothing happening at the school, we could use the fact that Lord Potter was getting this information direct from either his daughter or her protection detail, should be enough to force the incompetent dick head to listen to James.

He expected that he may have to make some 'contributions' to the ministers campaign fund, but he would keep records of conversations and accounts of the bribes that he had paid so that when it was finally time to topple the government, if necessary Lord Potter could use his records as evidence to assist the DMLE to build a case against the minister.

Lord Potter did not know it yet, but I had the idea to have him run for the next Minister of Magic. According to the books, when fudge was kicked out of government, Scrimgeour took over and he was almost as fucking bad as his predecessor.

That just gave me a thought. I turned to the XO and the RSM who happened to be sitting next to each other. "Put a working group together filled with people who were Potter nuts in our dimension. I want every bit of knowledge about the magical world that they can remember from both the books and the movies."

"Concentrate more on the books as they came were in existence first, and the movies had bits chopped out of them to make them into a ninety minute feature." I paused and took a mouthful of coke.

"Saying that, do not discount the movies. We need intel and even if only two or three things from each book actually end up happening, it will give us a guide on what to expect. This will be especially true when Ben-Asher and I take Imogen to Hogwarts next year."

Both men nodded at me. And I continued. "I want a weekly briefing from this group. Get them to work on it chronologically. Things that according to the books happen in book seven do not really concern me right now. I need info on what is could possibly happen in the next two years."

"Yes Boss." The RSM said. "I'll put a few lads and lass's on it.

"Ok, make sure Allison is on it. From memory she is the worst of the bunch." They laughed at that. Allison was a very capable aircraft tech. She was even more capable of making Harry Potter costumes for Halloween.

"She may not be too good Boss." Someone quipped. She is pretty cut up that the Boy who Lived is actually a girl. Laughter resounded around the table and I looked down at my notes to see that we had covered everything.

"I'm done. Anything from the floor?" I asked once the laughing had stopped. Everyone shook their heads and I stood up. "Let's call it a day. Secure your departments. If anyone wants to check out the local area I'm ok with it. Leave to expire at 0730 tomorrow morning."

"Yes Boss." Was he reply and they stood up and started to file out of the office. Once I was alone, I went back to my desk and grabbed my desk phone and punched in a number.

"Team one Head Minion speaking." Came the thick Texan accent over the phone.

"Pfft yeah right." I scoffed. "Head Minion my ass."

"What can I do for ya Boss?" he asked me.

"Last night?" I asked in Reply.

"No problems." He said. "Jason popped us straight into her bedroom around 0300, single knife to the heart." He paused and I heard him taking a slurp of his ever present coffee before he continued. "We were originally going to do it with a shot through her bedroom window, but we decided that a bullet hole in the middle of her forehead would raise to many questions with us suddenly appearing on the scene carrying fire arms."

I kick myself for not thinking of that. This one act alone justified to myself why I leave opps plans on the wall for a week for everyone to have some input into.

"We decided that a knife to the heart would make more of a statement and could be taken as a direct threat to the life of the Minister. Well at least that is what we thought Lord Potter could use to help sell your plan to the Minister when they go to meet him in a few days."

"Good job Mitch." I told him. "Give Tom a well done from me as well" I say into the phone.

"Roger Boss." He says hanging up the phone.

I checked my computer. I had a few emails from the opps room and another from the maintenance team informing me about the status of the Blackhawk and its ancillary bits and pieces. I fired off a few replies and decided to call it a day and head up to the Manor to catch up with my principal.

**Thanks for reading…**


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